I'll Know When I Get There
by FriendsWithTheMonster
Summary: One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)
1. Chapter 1

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 _ **Chapter 1** **:**_

One phone call.

One phone call was all it took to rip apart Ryan Sloane's life.

She had always been a little anxious every time her husband had headed in to the sheriff's station for his shifts as a deputy, especially when the animal attacks started happening, but nothing could have prepared her for what happened.

The idea of Deputy Cole Sloane out late at night on his own, tracking down wild, vicious animals had been enough for Ryan to beg him to find a new job, anywhere within the small town of Beacon Hills. She had pleaded with him over and over again to find somewhere safer to work but Cole had made a very bold case against her. He had always wanted to be in law enforcement and he had been doing what he loved, in the town they had both grown up in.

People needed him. That was his major argument against Ryan's request to find another job. He was a good deputy and the town was safer with him on the team. If she had only fought harder then maybe he would still be alive.

Ryan couldn't deny that he was a valuable member of the deputy team and maybe it was a low blow against him for bringing their three-year-old daughter Kylie into the argument but there was no way she'd be able to sleep soundly at night knowing he was out there, patrolling the streets, looking for criminals or, more recently, wild animals who seemed to attack at every opportunity.

What if something happened to him, what if Kylie had to grow up without her father in her life? She had brought the questions up to him on more than one occasion but Cole had always just smiled at her and made the same promise he always did: he'd be careful, he wouldn't anything happen.

When the moon was full one night and she had been pulling an extra night shift at the hospital, where she worked as a nurse, Ryan had gotten the call, yes the call that changed her life, the call that meant Cole had broken his promise that he wouldn't let anything happen.

Cole Sloane, as well as every other deputy that had been working at the station that night, had been killed, brutally ripped apart and left for dead by some murderous psychopath, at least that was the story she had been told. Part of her didn't believe that but there was nothing she could do otherwise.

She _knew_ there was more to the story than that, in her eyes, there was no way that one person, not a human being anyway, could have caused that much damage in a place where there were deputies with guns around every corner. It just wasn't possible, surely someone would have been able to stop the psychopath, surely someone could've done _something_.

Ryan had started to gather information instead of ignoring the obvious nagging feeling in her gut. She'd cut out the articles in the paper regarding the incident at the sheriff's station, in fact, she'd cut out any articles that seemed even the slightest bit odd, and slowly Ryan started to realize that there was something bigger going on in Beacon Hills, something scarier than a murdering psychopath.

She didn't know what it was though and she had no methods of investigating, apart from her article collecting. Even if she had the time, there was no way she'd be sneaking off and trying to gather up information, not with her daughter Kylie in her life. Ryan knew there was one thing for certain and that was that she wasn't about to let anything happen to Kylie.

Holding onto her daughter, Kylie resting against her hip, as they lowered Cole's casket into the ground, Ryan tried, and failed, to fight off the tears that she had been struggling to keep at bay for the last few days. There was no way she'd be able to hold them in anymore, even if she was desperate to show Kylie that she was strong, that she could do this. Cole had been her everything, he had been one of the only people to support her for most of her life, and now he was gone, stolen from her, taken away from her and their daughter, in the blink of an eye.

They had met in middle school, had been best friends from the start and when high school graduation rolled around, they were already going steady, Cole proposing the night after the ceremony. She had said yes, and then they had gone away to college together, Cole enrolling in the law enforcement program while Ryan took up nursing at the same school. It had been rough on them, there were many struggles, both of them had a busy course schedule but they had made it work, they had made it through together.

It was in their last year together that Ryan had found out that she was pregnant.

It hadn't been too much of an adjustment, not like some of the other girls that she had seen from afar, Cole basically had a foot in at the Beacon Hills Sheriff Station because of his father, and she was almost guaranteed a position at the hospital, courtesy of her good family friend Melissa McCall.

While it had been a bit of a struggle, the two of them had made ends meet, they had made it work and once a routine was established, everything seemed to fall into place, everything seemed to fit perfectly with baby Kylie added into the mix.

Everything had been going well, at least until the massacre at the sheriff's station occurred, ripping Cole from their lives unexpectedly, that's when everything changed.

Kylie's tear filled eyes were locked on the casket now as the people around her murmured prayers and well wishes to her dead father. The pastor was saying his final words to the crowd and Ryan clutched her baby girl tighter, hoping that together they'd somehow figure out a way to make things work now that there was a giant hole in their hearts, as well as their lives.

"Mommy, I miss daddy." Kylie said softly and Ryan pressed a kiss against her forehead in a lame attempt to comfort the toddler.

It wasn't fair, the sun was high in the sky and Ryan had mentally cursed the heavens for not giving her rain and dark clouds, something that would have seemed more appropriate on the day that she buried her husband and the father of her child. That was how life went though, she had lost her love, she had lost her life partner and now she was going to have to muddle through the rest of her days without Cole by her side.

"I know sweetheart, I miss him too." Ryan managed to get the words out without sobbing like she had been that night that she received the phone call. She had been hysterical, screaming and crying out for Cole, begging the person on the other end to tell her it wasn't true. It had to have been a cruel joke, he couldn't have been gone, he was much too young, much too needed.

"He's safe now though, right mommy?" Kylie asked, her words faltering through her tears. The little girl sucked in a breath and choked back a sob.

"Yeah Kylie, he's safe now." Ryan nodded and stared down into the hole in the ground where Cole would remain forever, surrounded by the damp earth.

It wasn't until a large hand pressed itself against Ryan's shoulder that she tore her eyes off the shiny, wooden casket. Glancing to the side, she watched as her own father took her, as well as Kylie, into a warm embrace, providing her with the tiniest bit of comfort on a day when she needed all the comfort she could get.

With her face securely hidden against her father's chest, Ryan let out the sobs that she had been holding in all day, her body shaking with the sounds.

Ken Robertson was a large man, in every sense of the word. He was tall, nearly towering over anyone that he came into contact with. He was built too, muscular to the point that people would be able to notice even under his clothes and he held himself well. It was hard for him to walk into a room without half of the occupants inside looking his way, his presence simply commanded it. He was older than most of the fathers of the people that Ryan had gone to school with, but none of that mattered to Ryan. She was glad just to still have him in her life, like he had been for all of her childhood.

Her own mother had passed away shortly after she was born and Ryan always felt the sadness of not having grown up with her mom in her life. She wasn't taught many of the things that other little girls were, she didn't know how to cook very well, or sew and when her first period surprised her, her and her father had rushed to the hospital where a young nurse had explained to her that she was fine, that the bleeding was nothing to worry about and to expect it every month from that day forward.

Her father had done the best he could though and it wasn't until she met Cole that she had finally managed to fill the void in her heart left by her mother. His parents had always been kind and welcoming but tragedy had struck them before Kylie had even turned one, the two of them perishing in a horrible car accident one night. The only grandparent that Kylie had left was Ken Robertson, and there wasn't anything in the world that was going to tear him away from her.

Ryan had been left with her own father too and nothing more. She had lost her mother, her husband's parents and now her husband. She knew that she wouldn't be able to burden her father with watching Kylie on a regular basis, hell he was going on seventy and looked worn and weathered from his days working at the local garage, staying on well past the age of sixty just to make sure his own baby girl had everything she could possibly have wanted. He had only retired after Kylie was born and Ryan knew that it was because he didn't want to miss out on watching the little girl grow up, something she understood as well as respected.

Another sob escaped Ryan's throat and she tried to suck in a breath, only succeeding in forcing yet another sob out of her throat. She clutched her father harder but peeled her face out of his chest, desperate for oxygen, craving fresh air.

"Ry, you know I'm not good when you cry." Ken attempted to tease her but she just clung to him tighter, sandwiching Kylie between their bodies.

"Grampy, will you take care of us now?" Kylie asked innocently and Ken looked into the little girl's bright green eyes as he forced a smile onto his lips. He ran his hand through Ryan's slightly wavy, shoulder length, golden blonde locks and fought off the urge to cry himself.

If anyone could break him down, it was the two girls in his hold at that very moment. Ken would do anything he could to make them happy but even he couldn't fix what had happened, he couldn't bring Cole back, nothing could.

"I will do everything I can to make sure you two are taken care of." Ken replied back softly and gingerly pulled away from Ryan, taking hold of Kylie in the process. Ryan slipped under his free arm and clutched the collar of his black leather jacket, not wanting him to go anywhere. She glanced across his chest at Kylie, who was now in his hold, and couldn't help but wonder what would happen to her.

Sure the little girl was holding it together fairly well now but Ryan knew there would come a time when it would all hit her and she'd be lost, confused even, and the questions would start again. Cole had been the best father to his little girl and Ryan found herself thinking that there was no one on the face of the earth that could replace him, which was fine because there was no one that she would ever want in place of Cole.

"Grampy, I miss daddy." Kylie muttered and laid her head down on his shoulder, gently patting the side of his face with her tiny little hand.

"I know pipsqueak, I know." Ryan's father replied and clutched both of his girls that extra bit tighter.

All that was left for them to do at the graveyard was for them to say goodbye and Ryan wasn't entirely sure if she'd ever be able to do just that.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

The idea of spending night after night sleeping alone in the very bed that she had once shared with her beloved Cole bothered Ryan to the core. She knew that she was all by herself now, she knew that he wasn't coming back to her but that didn't stop the sadness from creeping into her body and taking over, especially when she least expected it.

Her bones ached from the grief, her head pounded from always crying, the tears constantly blurred her vision but she wasn't about to give in to the overwhelming sadness, no she had Kylie to worry about. Kylie needed her to be strong, she needed to keep herself together, there would be no breaking down in front of her little girl, not if she could help it.

Ryan let out a low sigh and stared at the empty bed, the sheets tucked around the mattress perfectly, the pillows undisturbed since she had washed them earlier in the day. She hadn't wanted to rid herself of the faint lingering smell of Cole, which was one of the only things she had left of him, but it had been too long without clean sheets and Ryan figured that she was going to have to change the bed eventually. She couldn't very well live the rest of her life using the same sheets every night, not without washing them, which is exactly what she did.

She had cried silently to herself as she loaded up the washer, saying goodbye yet again to Cole, but she had managed to pull herself together before heading back up the stairs from the basement towards where Kylie and her grandfather were. The two of them had been sitting at the kitchen table, Kylie drawing pictures on the paper scattered over the tabletop while Ken watched on, offering the little girl a drink or a snack every so often, making sure that she had something to eat throughout the day.

That had been hours ago though and now she was all alone with Kylie in the house. Ryan's father had headed home for the night after a long drawn out conversation about him staying in the house with her, but only if she wanted him too. Ryan had assured him that she would be fine and together the two of them had tucked Kylie into her own bed before the old man left the house, promising to stop by sometime the next day.

Ryan's eyes stared at the bed and she sucked in a large breath, hoping that with time it wouldn't be as hard. She wasn't sure what to expect but this, Cole dying so unexpectedly, had never even crossed her mind. Now she was all alone, left to raise their daughter by herself and Ryan wasn't confident that she could handle that.

"Let's get this over with." Ryan muttered to herself and stepped towards the bed, pulling the top edge of the comforter down, revealing the clean gray sheets underneath.

Smoothing her hands over her abdomen, which was covered in one of Cole's old t-shirts, she held her breath and shut her eyes, trying to calm herself enough to get under the covers, to melt into the bed alone again. She hadn't spent too many nights in the bed by herself since she and Cole had been married, and Ryan wasn't going to lie, it was quite the adjustment.

Her knee pressed into the sheet covered mattress and Ryan carefully opened her eyes, looking around the room nervously, as if she was embarrassed over how hard it was for her to simply get into bed. She shook her head and her eyes immediately landed on the nightstand on the opposite side of the bed from her. She felt her eyes widening at the sight and Ryan let out a low whimper before doing the first thing that popped into her head.

She dove across the bed, landing on her stomach, and whacked the picture frame right off the table with her hand. It was too hard, much too difficult at that moment for her to have to look at the photograph of baby Kylie curled up in Cole's arms shortly after she had been born. Maybe one day she'd be able to put the photo back out on display but for tonight it would spend it's time face down on her carpeted bedroom floor.

Ryan rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling, debating where to hide the picture, where should could possibly tuck it away in the morning where she could forget about it for the time being but not have to give it up permanently. After a few seconds, she realized that she couldn't leave it on the floor, not without endangering herself or Kylie. If the glass broke, she didn't want to worry about anyone cutting themselves but she also didn't want anyone tripping over it, which could easily happen in the dark. Letting out a frustrated sigh, Ryan moved her body so that she was sitting on the edge of the bed, her eyes lingering on the back of the picture frame.

"God dammit." She groaned and pushed herself off the bed, striding towards the discarded picture. Squatting down, she wrapped her fingers around the edge of it and lifted it up, off the carpet, as she stared at the back of the frame.

"Can I have it mommy?"

Ryan spun around on her heels at the sound of Kylie's tiny voice in her doorway. Her heart pounded against her chest and she locked her eyes on her little girl, her night shirt hanging down to her knees, the picture of Olaf the snowman clear as day on the front. Ryan forced a smile in her daughter's direction and rose up to her full height, making quick work of crossing the room and crouching down in front of Kylie.

"You want this picture?" Ryan asked and held the photograph between them, the picture facing upwards so that Kylie could see what it held.

"Um…yes." Kylie nodded firmly in response to the question and Ryan fought off the urge to sigh, which was building up in her chest.

It wasn't that she didn't want Kylie to have the picture, she didn't mind at all that her baby girl had asked for it, it was just that Ryan hadn't wanted to be reminded of _him_ , at least not until she could look at the photo and not cry at the sight of Cole's handsome face.

"You can have it if you really want it." Ryan stated and part of her hoped that Kylie would change her mind, that her baby girl would forget about the picture for the time being.

"Okay." Kylie tilted her head and grabbed hold of the frame, drawing it against her tiny chest and hugging it tight against her body, Olaf's head disappearing behind the photo.

"What are you doing out of bed anyways?" Ryan asked and dropped right down so that she was sitting on the carpet, now eye level with her sweet child. "Grandpa and I tucked you in ages ago."

Kylie looked directly into Ryan's eyes and shrugged, "I can't sleep mommy."

Ryan motioned for the toddler to move forward and Kylie slowly closed the distance between her and her mother. She gently set the picture frame on the floor beside Ryan and buried her little body against Ryan's chest. Wrapping her arms around her daughter, Ryan basked in the feeling of her child in her hold. She didn't know what to do now that Cole was gone; he had always been the one to take care of Kylie when she called out in the middle of the night claiming she couldn't sleep for whatever reason.

But Cole was gone now and the duty fell on Ryan.

"Why not sweetie?" Ryan asked softly and pressed a kiss to the side of Kylie's head, the little girl's arms grasping her mother tightly.

"I miss daddy." Kylie said sadly, her voice nearly a whine. Ryan held her breath and gripped the little girl tighter.

"Me too Kylie, me too." Ryan murmured in response and squeezed her eyes shut tight, hoping that the overwhelming emotions would pass by, or at the very least stay tucked away until she could figure out how to solve the issue of Kylie not being able to sleep.

"Can I stay with you?" Kylie leaned back and looked up at her mother, her eyes wide and shiny, tears threatening to seep out at any moment.

Ryan hadn't been expecting a request like that but she wasn't about to object, except for the fact that she hardly wanted to stay in her own room herself either. Maybe there was an easy solution; maybe she could handle this situation on her own after all.

"Why don't we go downstairs to the living room and sleep on the couch tonight?" Ryan offered slowly, hoping that Kylie wouldn't ask too many questions about why that was even an option.

"Really mommy?" Kylie asked right back and Ryan had to fight off the urge to laugh at the excited look on Kylie's face.

"Yeah really. Come on, let's go put that picture in your room, grab your teddy bear and head down to the living room?"

"Okay!" Kylie's voice was nearing a squeal and Ryan quickly made her way to her feet, hauling Kylie up off the floor before bending down and grabbing hold of the frame.

Kylie took hold of the picture and held it tightly as Ryan wandered out of her room, taking one last glance back at the bed before flipping the light off. When they approached Kylie's room, just across the hall, Ryan lowered her child to the floor and Kylie took off in a run, dashing towards her dresser and setting the picture on its back so that it was facing the ceiling.

Jumping up onto her bed, Kylie grabbed hold of her lavender coloured teddy bear and hugged it against her chest while Ryan leaned against the side of the doorframe. With a small smile, Kylie hopped off her bed and wandered towards her mother, reaching her hand up for Ryan to take.

The two of them headed for the stairs, Ryan going first so that Kylie wouldn't fall down them, and before they knew it, the two of them were in the living room, standing in front of the couch, staring at it.

"What do we do now mommy?" Kylie asked, looking up at her mother, her teddy bear dangling from her free hand.

"Now we get comfortable." Ryan nodded and bent down, grabbing Kylie under her arm pits and lifting her up onto the couch where she stood staring up at Ryan.

"What about a blanket?" Kylie tilted her head to the side and Ryan held her hand up, signaling for Kylie to give her just one minute.

Walking over to the rocking chair tucked into the corner of the room, she grabbed hold of the quilt that her mother had made for her when she was a baby. Ryan opened it up and headed back to the couch, sitting down next to Kylie and spreading it out over herself. She flipped it down and slipped her arm around her baby girl, gently pulling the child against her chest, the bear now squished between their bodies.

Kylie leaned forward and kissed the tip of Ryan's nose before relaxing in her mother's hold, the two of them carefully moving into a laying down position on the couch. With Kylie tightly clutched against her chest and the two of them sharing one of the pillows on the couch, Ryan felt her body relax the slightest bit.

Yes, this was much better than sleeping in the bed that she used to share with her now dead husband, the living room couch was the answer to her current problem. Kylie let out an incredibly large yawn and melted into her mother's chest, Ryan placing a gentle kiss against her forehead.

"I love you Kylie." Ryan whispered and Kylie squirmed slightly, but only enough so that she could see into her mother's eyes.

"I love you bigger mommy." Kylie murmured and relaxed back into the couch.

As she clutched her daughter against her chest and felt the little girl's breathing even out, Ryan couldn't help but wonder if this was going to be how she spent the rest of her nights. There was one thing she knew for sure, eventually she'd have to figure out a way to get herself back into her bedroom during the nights and get Kylie back into her bedroom too.

For now though, she'd hold her little girl tight and hope that no more tragedy came upon her or her family.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

 ** _If there's anything you guys want to say, maybe things you liked, didn't like, how you feel about Ryan and Kylie so far; if there's any questions you might have, leave me a review!_**

 ** _I love hearing from you guys and I hope you like Ryan so far!_**


	2. Chapter 2

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary:_ _One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 _ **Chapter 2** **:**_

Ryan was already tired and her shift wasn't even close to being over. The one good thing about working the night shift at the hospital was that a lot of the times, it was way less busy than it was during the day, especially when it got into the later hours of the night. Well Ryan wasn't exactly there yet, nope, it was running on seven o'clock and _she_ was running on empty.

Her stomach growled loudly, so much so that Melissa McCall had already made a few jokes about missing dinner, but Ryan was waiting, she knew that her father was supposed to swing by with Kylie and that was when she was planning on taking her break. She needed to make sure that Kylie was okay and for the first few days back to work after being off for so long because of what happened to Cole, the only way Ryan knew how to make sure her little girl was okay was for her dad to swing by the hospital.

Kylie, for the most part, was always excited to see Ryan and she couldn't help but light up at the sight of her sweet baby girl too. After six months without Cole, the two of them were finally starting to fall back into a routine. The other nurses always paused what they were doing and fawned over the toddler, which only served to make both girls feel a little better about their current situation, and what had happened to put them there. Hey, at least Ryan didn't feel alone, not at work anyways.

A small collection had gone around at the hospital and Ryan was very thankful for the donations from the other staff. The money that had been raised for her and Kylie had gone directly into a bank account for when her daughter was old enough, an education fund for her future schooling, something that was very important to Ryan and when Kylie was old enough, she knew that she'd appreciate it too. Ryan wasn't by any means desperate for money but the cost of the funeral still weighed heavily on her and the thought of Kylie growing up without simple pleasurable things in life pained her, which was why she had taken on the challenge of night shifts, which paid her slightly more because of a shift premium.

The premium was only slightly higher than if she had chosen to work day shifts but every little bit helped and she knew that in the long run, she'd make a lot more, meaning she could make a slightly bigger dent in her bills, plus it was easier for Ken to watch Kylie this way. He merely had to feed her dinner, give her a bath every other day, unless she got too dirty playing outside, and then tuck her in for the night. When Ryan arrived home in the mornings, just in time to get her father up and out of the bed in the basement most of the time, she knew that she had made the right decision, at least for the time being.

Until Ryan could figure out what would work better, this was how her routine would go and maybe one day, she'd be able to make it work in a way that wouldn't put as much responsibility on her aging father.

Now though, Ryan was starving, she was extremely tired and all she wanted to do was go home and go to bed. It was a bad day, she knew that from the second she woke up and everything had gone awry that luck was not in the cards. The babysitter had called Ryan shortly past noon and had said that Kylie should be picked up as the other two kids that the woman babysat were running high fevers. Ryan had rushed over there and picked her up before anyone could say another word, which meant that her daily sleep time had been shortened significantly and Ryan was certainly feeling it now.

Heading towards the front desk in her dark purple scrubs, she let out a deep sigh and leaned her elbow on the counter in front of the ward clerk. She locked her eyes on the older woman sitting behind the counter and forced a smile, hoping that things would slow down soon, and that Kylie would show up before Ryan grew too occupied to spend any time with her little girl.

"You look exhausted." Melissa McCall remarked with a small smile from her seat behind the desk and Ryan fought off the urge to groan.

"Yeah, I didn't sleep very good." Ryan grumbled and twisted her body, feeling the edge of the countertop digging into her ribs. She leaned on the counter with both of her elbows and stared down at the sitting Melissa.

"Well how about I give you an easy one then?" Melissa asked with a small smirk and tore her eyes away from Ryan for a few seconds, searching in the small pile of files until she located the one that she had been thinking of when she mentioned an 'easy one'.

Ryan watched as Melissa flipped open the front of the file chart and scanned the information there, double checking to make sure it was the right patient, the perfect match for what Melissa had been contemplating. When the front of the file fell shut, Melissa stretched her arm out and set it on the top of the desk in front of Ryan, giving it an extra poke with her index finger and motioning down the hall with her hand.

"Is it stitches? I don't mind stitches." Ryan pointed out and Melissa let out a tiny bark of laughter.

"No, even easier than that. The young man in question needs to be checked out and prepped for some tests, everything you need to know is in his chart." Melissa remarked and pressed her finger against the edge of the file, shoving it forward and into Ryan's abdomen. "He's pretty cute too if you ask me, maybe you and him will get along really well, maybe-"

"This is a set-up, isn't it?" Ryan cut her off and settled her glare on the older woman. "I've told you before that I'm not looking for anyone right now, I want to focus on Kylie."

"And you can do that but please, keep your options open, for me?" Melissa pleaded and rose up from her seat, leaning over the counter and taking Ryan's hands in hers. "I know it's hard for you, and I understand that you want what's best for Kylie, but don't shut yourself off completely. Maybe you just need to find the right person."

Ryan fought off the urge to snort in response. Okay, so maybe Melissa had a point, maybe there was always the possibility that the next man she laid eyes on could be the one, but that didn't mean she was going to admit that out loud, not yet at least. Ryan nodded her understanding at the older woman, gripped the edge of the file and slid it off the counter, clutching it against her chest tightly.

With the thought of Cole popping into her head, she squeezed her eyes shut and sucked in a deep breath, willing herself not to cry at work, _again_. Melissa ran her hand down Ryan's arm and gave her a gentle, reassuring pat on the wrist before Ryan's eyes opened again. They looked at each other, a small smile present on Melissa's face, while Ryan bowed her head in understanding.

Things were still hard, there were still moments when she wanted to do nothing other than cry and be angry for the person who had ripped Cole away from her and Kylie. She knew there was nothing that would bring him back and maybe one day she'd be willing to let another person in but at that moment, all she wanted was to keep her and her daughter safe.

"Good luck Ry." Melissa said encouragingly and turned her back to Ryan, quickly busying herself behind the desk.

As Ryan moved down the hall, she stole a glance back at the woman who had been the next best thing to having her family around. Melissa had always been her mentor, her role model and most importantly her friend. When Ryan caught sight of Scott McCall wandering through the hallway with a bag of take-out boxes in his hand, she couldn't help but smile. Melissa was just a prime example of a decent single mother and Ryan strived to be more like her.

With the file still clutched against her chest, she let out a small sigh and slowed down, loosening her grip on the folder and letting it move away from her chest. Flipping it open, she glanced at the patient's details and cocked her head to the side.

"Jordan Parrish." Ryan mumbled to herself and continued reading his credentials. "Twenty-four years old, six foot, apparently pretty cute according to Melissa."

Ryan closed the file in her hands, rolled her shoulders back, stood up straight, raised her chin and wandered into the examination room, exuding as much confidence as she could muster.

When the man sitting on the table met her eyes, she felt her heart start to pound against her chest.

Okay so Melissa hadn't been totally wrong. He definitely _was_ cute, more than cute even, he was gorgeous. There was a boyish charm about him, his green eyes were captivating, sucking her right in and when he smiled, oh god when he smiled, Ryan had to grab onto the nearest cupboard to keep her legs from turning to complete goo.

"He-hello." She nodded her head at him and tried to pull herself together. What the hell was she thinking, this was just another patient, another easy exam, why was this suddenly so hard and why did it feel like the room was getting smaller?

"Hi." He replied politely, still smiling at her.

She took in a breath and pushed herself away from the counter, focusing instead on his file yet again. She flipped the cover open and tried to read the words in front of her but she could hear her heartbeat pounding in her ears, she could feel her focus slipping away. Step by agonizing step she closed in on him, praying that she could calm herself down enough to be professional while dealing with whatever he needed.

"I'm uh, my name is Ryan, I'll be partaking in your physical." She said softly and let out a squeak, realizing what she had just said. Stammering now, she looked up and caught the amused look in his eyes. "What I meant to say was that I'll, uh, I'll be-"

"Take it easy." He chuckled and scooted forward on the table, planting his feet on the floor. Ryan turned to face him straight on and sucked in a breath, holding it for a few seconds while she counted to five in her head. She let the breath out and daringly looked up at him, her eyes meeting his.

"Sorry." She sighed and repeated the process, breathe in, hold for five seconds, breathe out. She could already feel her body starting to relax in his presence.

"Why don't we start over?" Jordan offered and extended his hand out to her, making his way to his feet. She looked down at it and her mind went blank.

A hand, what was she supposed to do with a hand? She could barely see straight and her heart was still pounding so loud she swore he could hear it himself. Ryan blinked a few times and managed to bring herself back to reality where she promptly stuck her own hand out and shook his, his charming smile never leaving his face, as she finally remembered what she was supposed to do with his hand.

"Ryan Sloane." Ryan stated firmly, finally managing to gain some of her confidence back.

"Jordan Parrish." Jordan replied, gave her hand a firm shake and peeled his fingers away from her.

"I know that." Ryan spluttered and immediately shied away from his gaze, a laugh erupting from his throat. "Because it's in your file, not…what the hell am I doing?"

"I'm not sure, what the hell _are_ you doing?" Jordan asked her, his tone light and teasing. "I know what I'm here for, do you?"

"Physical." Ryan answered and brought her gaze back to his face. "You're here for a physical."

"Good." He nodded and lowered his butt back down onto the table.

"And some simple tests." She added, nodding her head now.

"That's what I was told." Jordan teased.

"Okay, well then, we can start by checking your height and weight, then move on from there." Ryan was surprised at how calm she sounded now. This was her domain, this was where she knew what to do, maybe all she'd have to do in order to keep herself from saying something stupid again was to keep evreything strictly professional.

"Lead the charge." Jordan waved his hand in front of her and she motioned towards the nearby wall where a large tape measure strip was glued to the wall.

Ryan held on to his chart and wandered towards it, Jordan knowing exactly what to do. He flipped off his boots, pressed his heels against the wall and watched carefully as Ryan pulled a pen out of her pocket and lined it up against the top of his head. When she gave him a nod, he carefully stepped out from under the pen and turned to face the wall, smiling at Ryan as she went onto her tiptoes and looked at the number that she had gotten off the wall that told her how tall he was.

"So, are you new in town?" Ryan asked, her voice barely louder than a whisper. It was clear as day that she still wasn't totally confident in her speaking abilities, especially when it came to making small talk with this gorgeous patient, but awkward conversation was better than awkward silence, right?

"Yeah, I just moved here."

"Why?" Ryan shot back before she could even stop herself. She had lived in Beacon Hills for most of her life, leaving only for school, but that didn't stop her from realizing that bad things happened in the small town.

The animal attacks, the deadly Hale house fire, not to mention all the weird and unsolved murders floating around that none of the deputies had any idea how to solve. Then there was the slaughter at the sheriff's station that had claimed many innocent lives, including that of her beloved Cole.

" _Why_? What do you mean why?" Jordan countered and followed her as she led him over to the scale, just a few steps away. He planted his hands on his hips and stood just off to the side of the device, looking directly at Ryan as he waited for her to explain what she had meant when she spat out the word 'why'.

"Why would you want to move to a place like this?" Ryan asked and Jordan reluctantly stepped on the scale, Ryan tucking his file under her arm and poking at the weights to get it to balance.

"What's wrong with this place?"

"Well how about the extremely high rate of weird animal attacks, we can start with those." Ryan baited and finally managed to get the scale to balance. She lifted her finger up and signaled for him to stay on the scale before pulling the file out from under her arm and jotting down the number.

"Seems there are just a lot of predatory mammals in the area." Jordan offered up with a shrug. "That could happen everywhere, I mean, look at Australia."

"Australia?" Ryan scrunched her nose up and turned to face the exam table, Jordan following her as she led the way back to it. "What does Australia have to do with anything?"

"Every animal there can pretty much kill you but people still go there." Jordan pointed out matter-of-factly.

Ryan turned on her heels and patted the end of the table, watching as he sat down on the edge. He rested his palms against his thighs and looked intently at Ryan, who had set the file down beside him and was now taking her stethoscope off her shoulders and sticking the ear pieces in her ear.

Before she could instruct him on her next move, he leaned back, grabbed the bottom hem of his t-shirt and lifted it over his head, letting the garment fall to the vacant patch of the table behind him. Ryan's eyes widened at the sight of his chiseled abs and she momentarily lost the ability to breathe at how amazing his body looked. When he reached out and gently rested his palm against her arm, she shook her head, cleared her mind and focused her attention on the task at hand instead of the superb abs that he must've worked really hard to achieve.

"Australia and Beacon Hills are completely different." Ryan said, tripping over her words. There was absolutely no conviction in her tone and Jordan seemed to catch on. There was definitely something more specific that she was shying away from, a more personal reason as to why she thought he was a little on the crazy side.

"That's true. Aside from the animal attacks though, what other reasons do you have?"

"Other reasons…" Ryan tossed the question around in her head and decided that maybe now was just as good of a time as any. "We had a pretty vicious massacre a few months back, lost half our sheriff's department."

"Lots of job openings though." Jordan pointed out and Ryan's eyes darkened at his remark.

"That's not a positive." She growled and felt the pain, the anxiety, taking over her body. She had lost everything that night, Cole was gone. She was a wife without a husband, Kylie was a child without a father, her entire life had shifted and Ryan wasn't about to let Jordan's 'walk on the bright side' justify his presence in the town.

"Okay, you're right."

"People died that night, _lots_ of people." She leveled a glare on him but shook her head, forcing herself to try and calm down.

Jordan went to open his mouth, hopefully offering an apology, but Ryan was already focusing on the tiny footsteps echoing in the hall. She heard Ken's commanding voice telling Kylie to slow down and when her daughter's laughter filled the air, Ryan let out a sigh, knowing that now was the perfect time for Kylie to show up. A hug from the little girl could do wonders for Ryan and after Jordan's most recent remark, she could definitely use a hug.

"I didn't mean anything by it." Jordan broke into her thoughts, his voice laced with regret. She nodded her understanding at him but didn't say a word. She was too busy focused on Melissa's voice directing Kylie and Ken in Ryan's direction.

Her father would know better than to interrupt her when she was with a patient, she could picture him now, wandering up to the door and knocking, pulling Ryan quietly into the hall to speak with her privately for a few seconds. Yes, that's exactly what would have happened, if it weren't for Kylie running into the room with her hands in the air squealing with delight at the sight of Ryan.

Ryan turned her back to the young man and crouched down, opening her arms and feeling Kylie's little arms around her, her face now buried in Ryan's chest. Ryan let out a small sigh and shut her eyes, basking in the comfort that her little girl provided.

Taking a firm hold of her daughter, Ryan lifted her up and rested her against her hip, turning to the door just as Ken approached, rapping his knuckles against the wooden door before cautiously walking in, throwing a smile in Jordan's direction.

"Sorry kiddo, Kylie just took off." Ken apologised and closed the distance between himself and Ryan, running his large hand over the little girl's back before producing a brown paper bag in his other hand. "We brought dinner."

Ryan nodded her appreciation, took hold of the paper bag and wandered over to the counter, setting it down there before turning her attention to Jordan Parrish, who sat silently on the table, taking it all in.

"Whoa!" Kylie gasped and reached her hands out towards him, waving her arms in the air. Ryan let out a chuckle and readjusted her in her hold before taking a few steps closer to the man sitting on the table. "Who's this?"

"My name's Jordan." The man smiled and offered the little girl his hand to shake. Kylie wrapped all of her fingers around his hand and squeezed with everything she had, eliciting a chuckle from the half-naked man in the room. "Who might you be?"

"I'm Kylie!" Kylie shrieked excitedly and let go of his hand, slapping her hands down on Ryan's shoulders. "This is my mommy."

"Your mom? Really?" Jordan looked at the little girl and focused his entire attention on her.

"Yeah, isn't she pretty?"

"Alright there Ky, we should probably leave mommy alone now." Ken interrupted and stepped forward, slipping his hands under Kylie's armpits and lifting her away from Ryan. He then proceeded to situate the child against his own hip instead of Ryan's. "She's got work to do."

"Do we have to go grampy?" Kylie whined and Jordan let out a little laugh at her heartbroken expression. "I was making a new friend."

"I'm Jordan Parrish." The new face in town hopped to his feet and moved forward, offering Ken his hand. The older man took it and gave it a firm shake, smiling at him as Kylie watched on with a smile.

"Ken Robertson, Ryan's my daughter, which makes Kylie here my sweet little grandbaby." Ken explained with a proud smile. Ryan rolled her eyes but Kylie merely grinned at the label. "We were just dropping off Ryan's dinner but we'll be on our way now, won't we Ky?"

Kylie nodded her head furiously and waved both hands in the air. She set her sights on Ryan and Ken moved towards his own daughter, leaning in and letting Kylie press a sloppy kiss against Ryan's cheek. Ryan smiled at her little girl and kissed her forehead in return before Ken made a move to the door.

"Bye mommy! Bye Jordan!"

"Bye Kylie." Ryan waved at her daughter and couldn't even begin to fight the smile forming on her face.

As soon as her father and Kylie were out of sight, Ryan let out a contented sigh and turned her focus back to the task at hand. Jordan was watching her, a charming smile on his face too and Ryan immediately turned her attention away from him, feeling somewhat embarrassed by the bright smile that had been put on his face by her daughter.

"She's cute." Jordan remarked and took a step towards Ryan.

"She is." Ryan nodded stiffly and managed to turn to face him, keeping her composure as he closed in on her.

"Where's her father?"

Ryan let out a pain filled wince and dropped her gaze to the floor, "he was one of the deputies that didn't make it through the massacre."

Jordan's eyes nearly bugged out of his head in realization. Now he just felt awful, totally and utterly ignorant. Of course she would be a little leery about anyone moving to Beacon Hills, especially if tragedy had hit right at home for her.

"I'm so sorry."

"It's fine, you didn't know." Ryan countered and sucked in a breath.

Jordan reached his hand out but pulled it back, not knowing how Ryan would accept his touch. She gazed up at him and forced a smile onto her face, hoping that she could keep the tears at bay, at least until she was by herself and no longer in Jordan's company.

"That's why I'm here." Jordan said softly and Ryan stared at him, silently begging him to go on. "I applied for a deputy position, if everything checks out from this physical, I've got the job."

"Well, just do me a favour okay?"

"What's that?"

Ryan glanced around the room and tried to keep herself calm. She didn't know this man, she wasn't even sure she liked him all that much, but that didn't mean she didn't care about his well-being. She had experienced first-hand what it was like to be married to a deputy and she had paid the price. Cole was gone, he wasn't coming back, but maybe she could give this man a piece of advice that would save his life in the future.

"Be careful and try not to work the night shift." She breathed the words out and felt the agonizing pain of loss building in her chest.

"I'll see what I can do." Jordan smiled at her and she nodded her head, hoping he understood the importance of her words. "I really am sorry I said that, about-"

"Cole, his name was Cole." She cut in and crossed her arms over her chest. "Just tell your girlfriend, or wife, that you love her, every damn time you go to work."

Jordan bowed his head but when he lifted it back up, there was a teasing grin on his lips. She furrowed her eyebrows together and stared at him, waiting for him to say something, _anything_.

"I'm single." He stated and Ryan rolled her eyes at him.

"Of course you are."

"Maybe you'd like to grab a coffee sometime?"

"All right there playboy, why don't we finish your physical, I'll send you for your tests and then you can be on your way."

"And coffee?"

"Look, I'm not really-"

"I get it, you've got Kylie to look after and I'm maybe going to be a deputy. What if I offered to grab a coffee with you sometime, just as friends?" Jordan offered, a hopeful look in his eyes.

"Maybe. I'm not making any promises though." She countered and pointed back at the table.

He followed her silent instructions and moved to take a seat on the end of it, smiling at Ryan as she lifted the end of her stethoscope up. Before she could press it against his bare chest though, he reached out and gently took hold of her wrist.

"If it's any consolation, your daughter seems like an amazing little girl." Jordan murmured and Ryan simply bowed her head, no longer knowing if she could trust her voice.

With the thought of Cole filling her mind, she set back to work and prayed that the violence in Beacon Hills was over because she didn't know how many more deaths she could take.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

 ** _19irene96: Is it still looking good? How'd you like Ryan's first interaction with Deputy Parrish?_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Thank you so much for your continued support! I'm so glad that you liked the first chapter and I hope that you continue to enjoy Ryan and Kylile in the chapters to come!_**

 ** _If there's anything you guys want to say, how you find Ryan, if you enjoy her interaction with Parrish, even things that you think might happen in the future, just leave me a review. Also if there's any questions you might have, feel free to PM me, I'm always up for a chat!_**

 ** _I love hearing from you guys and I hope you like Ryan so far, especially now that she's finally met Deputy Parrish!_**


	3. Chapter 3

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 _ **Chapter 3** **:**_

Jordan Parrish had been given a clean bill of health, which was promptly followed by an official job offer at the Beacon Hills Sheriff's Station as a deputy. He had gladly accepted the Deputy position, even with the lingering thought of what the nurse had said to him at the hospital while he was getting checked out: _be careful and try not to work the night shift_. That's what Ryan had said, that's what Jordan had taken to heart, except it was almost too easy for him to be pushed to the evening shift when the time came for him to start working.

He was a rookie on the force, one of many, and that meant that he was at the bottom of the totem pole. The sheriff had informed him that unless there was a serious and reasonable excuse, he was going to work the shifts that he was lucky enough to be given. Well Jordan wasn't going to argue or put up a stink, plus he was trained in the military, he knew what he was doing, he could handle himself. Ryan Sloane, the captivating nurse from the hospital, had nothing to worry about.

Yet part of him wanted nothing more than to take her advice to heart.

Instead of spending his time in his apartment getting organized or unpacking the last remaining boxes of his things, Jordan had set up his laptop, hooked it up to the internet and got to work looking into the mysterious circumstances surrounding the massacre that had happened just months ago at the same place that he was set to start work at.

While he wasn't looking for anything in particular about that night, he most definitely wanted details, maybe even an explanation. He wanted to know what had happened inside the sheriff's station at the time of the massacre, he wanted to know how many people had died and who, out of all of them, had left behind families much like Ryan and Kylie were left behind by Deputy Cole Sloane.

Jordan was curious, very curious and he wanted to know what the hell had gone down inside the walls of the building that night and how so many of the late deputies had been killed before whatever had hunted and killed them was brought down, stopping the reign of terror on the poor, unfortunate law men and women. The sheriff's station had been full of armed law enforcement officers, yet why had so many people perished that night? They had guns, Tasers, weapons of all sorts but apparently that realization had come too late to save many of the deputies on duty during the massacre.

Pulling up the page of memorials, Jordan couldn't help but be drawn to each and every face that was there. He scanned picture after picture, reading name after name, until he finally landed on the one he was most curious about: Cole Sloane.

The little write up had mentioned a daughter and a wife, both of whom Jordan already knew about: Ryan, the amazing blonde nurse at the hospital and Kylie, her tiny little girl who was a sweet as could be. As Jordan read further though, he made a mental note that Cole Sloane wasn't much older than he was, but what had really gotten to him was that he was already gone. He had been taken before his time should've been up, leaving Ryan to comfort their young daughter without him. It was things like people his age dying that really tugged at Jordan's heart, cruelly reminding him how precious life really was.

He couldn't even begin to imagine the pain associated with losing the father of a child, the one person who supported everything in their life. The idea of Ryan crying for her dead lover pained Jordan more than he'd like to admit but come on, if he didn't feel sad at the thought, he would've been worried that there was something wrong with him, something dark and twisted within his mind.

Ryan, from the short period of time that he had spent with her, seemed to be holding herself together fairly well though. If it hadn't been for Kylie's unexpected visit in his examination room, he figured he wouldn't have found out as much as he did about the nurse who had looked after him.

Ryan was definitely a sight for sore eyes, even in her well worn purple scrubs. Her golden blonde hair had been half pulled back that night and secured with a black clip at the back of her head. Her bright blue eyes held his attention, reminding him of the vibrant cobalt of the water that he had seen on his tour in the military. Everything about the woman had his attention and when the little girl had rushed into the room, searching out her mother, Jordan couldn't help but feel all the more attracted to her.

She had turned him down when he offered a coffee date, which meant that she was focused on her life, her family life, and Jordan wouldn't have wanted to put himself between her and Kylie, hell, he understood her reservations completely. She had lost the one person who she had loved mere months before he showed up in the small town and now he was currently doing the same job that Cole had been doing the night that his life had ended.

No wonder Ryan was hesitant. He couldn't fault her, she didn't want to set herself up for a potential repeat and Jordan was well aware of the dangers of the job yet he wasn't scared.

He was confident in his abilities, he knew how to handle a gun, as well as other law enforcement issued weapons, he could handle himself in hand to hand combat, but _she_ didn't know that. She simply knew the facts that were right there in front of her.

She had been married to a deputy, that deputy had been working a night shift when he died. Now she was without a husband, without her child's father, and harbouring a deep fear that it could happen again if she ended up getting too close to Jordan, which was something that he wasn't exactly opposed to. She was really attractive and from the short amount of time that he had spent with her, she seemed like a nice enough person. She hadn't outright said no when he offered coffee as just friends but she definitely hadn't seemed that interested either.

There was a part of him that was very curious as to what sort of woman she was like but he wasn't the type of guy who would push her, no she clearly needed her space, she had a daughter that would be put in front of everything else, maybe that was part of the reason why Jordan was so interested in getting to know her. She was a strong woman and in his experience, they weren't always easy to come by.

Leaning back in his chair, Jordan let out a contented sigh and stared at the screen, reading over and over the brief little paragraph about Cole Sloane. It wasn't until his cell phone vibrated in his jeans pocket that he was pulled out of his mind. As he blinked his eyes, he was brought back down to reality and without thinking, he drove his hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone, not even bothering to glance at the screen before answering.

"Parrish." He said simply, straight and to the point, exactly what he liked. Chalk it up to his military training, maybe it was just something he always liked, there was no time for veering off the path.

"This is the sheriff, look I know you're not supposed to be here tonight but I could really use the extra manpower."

Jordan took in Sheriff Stilinski's response to him answering the phone and felt the excitement coursing through his body already. This was what he came to this town for, this was his calling.

"I'll be there in fifteen." Jordan replied and stole another glance at his laptop screen. He minimized the window, set his laptop into sleep mode and climbed out of the chair, the phone still pressed against his ear.

"I appreciate it Parrish."

"Sure thing Sheriff." Jordan said and before either of them could get another word in, the sheriff ended the call, the line going dead in Parrish's ear.

He stuffed the chair under the edge of the desk and headed out of the room, making his way into his bedroom where his deputy's uniform hung in the half empty closet.

Stripping off his jeans, he freed his uniform pants from the hanger and pulled them on, one leg at a time, before slipping the belt into each and every loop and securing his pants around his waist. When he had his pants situated, he stripped off his t-shirt, turned to face the mirror and smiled, seeing the exact same thing that Ryan had seen when he stripped in the hospital. Surely she had admired his physique, he worked hard to get into the shape he was currently in, there was no doubt in his mind that she had liked what she had seen.

Flipping his uniform shirt off the hanger, he slipped his hands into the sleeves and worked quickly on doing the buttons up the front before shoving his shirttails into his pants. With one final look in the mirror, Jordan gave his reflection a nod of approval and took off for the lockbox he kept in the living room, which contained his badge and gun.

With his equipment now in his possession, he nabbed his keys off the kitchen counter and headed for the door, pausing only to lock it behind him.

All he could do now was hope for an uneventful night.

"Welcome to Beacon Hills." He chuckled to himself as he made quick work of the stairs.

Parrish had no idea how terrifying his night would get.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

By the time Jordan arrived at the station, there were very few people inside. He located the sheriff instantly but was surprised to see the man in a state of pure panic. Figuring it was best to leave him alone until he approached Jordan, he took a seat at his newly assigned desk and manned the front, hoping that the night wouldn't be too eventful.

It had been a few minutes of awkward quiet before two boys, about sixteen or seventeen, rushed into the sheriff's station in desperate need to see the very sheriff himself. Cordova, the other deputy nearby, went right ahead and rapped his fist against the wooden part of the door belonging to the man in charge.

A fleeting look of recognition crossed over the sheriff's eyes and Jordan remained in his desk, hoping that something would become clear soon enough. Like who were these two teenagers? Why did they get to just rush in looking for the sheriff? And why did the sight of them seem to throw the sheriff into an even deeper state of sheer panic?

"Stiles, where's Stiles?" The sheriff demanded as he bounded out of his office, closing in on the two boys. Jordan straightened in his chair and prepared himself to help out in any way he could. This was the reason why he had been called in, this was what he was there for, to help wherever the sheriff needed him.

"We don't know, not for sure." The darker haired boy answered and Jordan studied the two youngsters in front of him. The sheriff seemed to know exactly who they were and why they were standing in front of him, hell, maybe they were part of the reason why the sheriff was frantic to start with.

"What can you tell me then? What happened?" The sheriff demanded but his tone wasn't scary, not in the slightest. Anyone in the room recognized it as being concerned, concerned for his son, who no one seemed to know his whereabouts.

"He called me, he called me and he said he didn't know where he was or how he got there, just that it looked like a basement." The shorter one, the same one who spoke earlier, continued.

"But not like a typical house basement." The second boy, taller and blonder, added in. Jordan kept his eyes trained on the two of them, wondering what the hell was going on with the Sheriff's son.

"So what, more like a uh, a-"

"He used the word industrial." The brunette spoke once again, this guy seemed to be the leader of the pair.

The sheriff let out a frustrated sigh and bent over at the waist, gripping the edge of Jordan's desk with his hands. The older man leaned over and Deputy Cordova wandered closer to them, moving to stand near the sheriff.

"Come on." The sheriff let out a frustrated sigh and pushed himself up, off the desk and back into a standing position.

Jordan couldn't help but feel bad for the man, with his son missing and their only lead based on a pair of teenagers, it wasn't looking good for the kid.

"If his Jeep is gone, that's where we start. Parrish, let's get an APB out on a blue 1980 CJ-5 Jeep. Cordova, I want a list of any kind of industrial basement or sub-level of any building that he could've gotten into while sleepwalking. It's the coldest night of the year so far so if he's out their barefoot in just a T-shirt, he could already be hypothermic. Let's move fast. Let's think fast." Sheriff Stilinski's tone of voice gave them all the impression that he wasn't to be questioned, not that Jordan ever would.

Dropping his attention to his desk, Jordan made quick work of jotting down word for word what the sheriff had said about the blue 1980 CJ-5 Jeep. He didn't know what it could possibly feel like to have your child go missing, but he knew that it wasn't a typical missing's persons case. If it weren't for the fact that the person in question was the sheriff's very son, Jordan wasn't sure how efficiently the deputies would've been moving but that didn't help the frantic atmosphere in the sheriff's station. Instead of wondering about how other missing people were handled, Jordan focused on what he had been asked to do.

When he had been called to the station, he hadn't really known what he had been expecting but a sheriff that was bordering on full blown panic mode wasn't it. For the short time that Jordan had known the man, he had always seemed level-headed, only losing his cool the slightest bit when the infamous Stiles Stilinski, the very boy they were looking for at that very moment, made his way into the Sheriff's office.

"The two of you, come with me." The sheriff gathered up the two boys that had arrived moments earlier and led them into his office, effectively cutting Parrish out of the conversation.

When the office door clicked shut, Jordan shook his head and tried to keep himself calm, cool and collected. The idea of a teenager being out on his own on one of the coldest nights of the year wasn't something he ever wanted to have to fathom yet here he was, trying to figure out the best way to help the man who had so graciously given him a job.

The second deputy that had shown up shortly after Parrish was already moving back to his desk, plopping down on the chair that resided there. Jordan shook his head and focused on his own task, the idea of having to put out an APB for Stiles wasn't exactly what he had signed up for.

He couldn't even begin to fathom how scared the boy was. Sure Jordan had faced his own frightening things when he was involved in the war overseas but he had been a grown man at the time, and he had signed up for it. Stiles Stilinski was lost, missing, and no one seemed to have any real idea where to start, except for the vague concept of an industrial type of basement.

Now Jordan had only been in the town for a short time but it didn't take a genius to realize that that still meant there were infinite possibilities of where the boy could be, that was if he was even in Beacon Hills still to start with.

If someone had taken Stiles, who knew where the boy could be by now?

Lifting the radio on his shoulder to his mouth, he thought about what exactly he needed to say. Without a second of hesitation, he pressed the button that connected his radio to all of the other deputies' radios, yes, Jordan Parrish was on the air.

"Attention all units, please keep an eye out for a blue 1980 CJ-5 Jeep, report back immediately if you see a blue 1980 CJ-5 Jeep. Over."

Leaning back in his chair, he sucked in a breath and prayed that the teenager would be found. He hated to think about what would happen to the sheriff if he ended up losing his son. With the fleeting thought of a father without his child passing through his head, Jordan found himself thinking more about Ryan Sloane, the nurse who had taken care of him at the hospital.

She had said that her own daughter had lost her father a few months back and Jordan felt completely terrible for the adorable little toddler. What kind of woman would little Kylie grow up to be without the influence of her father?

Before he could consider the dilemma for another second, the radio on his shoulder cackled and a muffled voice echoed out into the room.

"This is unit four-nine, we have a potential match. Over." The deputy's voice was firm and commanding and Parrish lifted his hand back up, pressing his finger down onto the button.

"Ten-four, what is your location? Over." Jordan responded and held his breath as he waited for a response.

"Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital. Over."

Jordan didn't even bother responding, instead he leapt to his feet and headed for the sheriff's office, the closed door not even making him hesitate. He rapped his knuckles against the glass and pushed the door open before the sheriff could even make a move. Before the older man could ask him what he needed, Jordan spoke.

"We got it, sir." Jordan said in calm tone. "We found the Jeep."

The sheriff nodded at him to go on and waved the two younger boys out of the room, following close behind them, Jordan tailing them all.

"Where are we heading then?" The sheriff questioned.

"Beacon Hills Memorial." Jordan answered and took a step towards his desk, watching in awe as the sheriff kicked it into high gear.

He ushered the two young teenagers towards the front of the station, tossing Jordan one last, appreciative glance before disappearing altogether. Stealing a look at the other deputy still in the building, Jordan slowly lowered himself back down into his chair and glanced at the screen of his computer. Yes, this was a step in the right direction, this felt right. They were going to find the missing boy, failure was not an option.

Settling into his chair, Parrish let out a soft sigh and gazed at the computer screen. He dropped his eyes to the keyboard and wondered how easy it would be to do a little research on the one and only Deputy Sloane, the very deputy who had passed away, leaving one very attractive blonde nurse to raise a child all on her own.

Jordan pulled up the program that would allow him to look into what would normally be considered a suspect, he located the bar where the person's name would be typed in. Without missing a beat, he typed in the name 'Sloane' and waited less than a minute for a match to pop up.

His eyes narrowed on the picture that came up when he clicked on the name Cole Sloane, which was above Ryan Sloane and below Ken Robertson in the list, and noted that this man could easily be the father of the adorable little girl from the hospital. His eyes were exactly the same as Kylie's and the smile on the man's face had Jordan smiling too, easily picturing the tiny little blonde's excited expression at the prospect of meeting someone new, which had ended up being him.

If only Ryan hadn't seemed so closed off, so protective of her family, maybe Jordan could've been able to ask her more about the little girl, and the man who had brought her. Yes, Ken, Ryan's father, seemed like a great guy. He was obviously involved in their lives, he clearly knew how to handle the little girl and the way he looked at both females, Jordan knew that neither Ryan nor Kylie would be neglected and left to their own devices.

Yes the Sloanes seemed like a solid unit and looking at the photo of the man who had left them, Jordan couldn't help but feel saddened by his passing.

Cole Sloane had been killed while on duty late one night, he had passed away quickly, too quickly. No one could've been able to save him, not with the injuries he sustained, the long list starting at the least likely to have killed him and went on until Jordan knew that the man in question hadn't stood a chance.

The was no doubt in Jordan's mind that Ryan would be a very guarded, cautious person. Her husband had been stolen from her and there hadn't been a damn thing she could've done to stop it.

Letting out a low whistle, Jordan leaned back in his chair and simply stared at the screen, trying to memorize each and every detail on Cole Sloane's face. The man's dirty blonde hair was short, really short, and his green-brown eyes held a certain look of utter joy that Jordan could only imagine was because of the child that had waited for him at home. He was clearly built and it was easy to see that the man was proud of his body, he took pride in his muscles. Jordan Parrish could see why this young man had been a deputy; there was nothing about him that would have him questioning the sheriff's decision on keeping Deputy Sloane on the force.

Jordan ran his hands over his thighs and set his hands back on the mouse and keyboard. He backspaced, sending the page back into the virtual files, before clicking on the name Ken Robertson and bringing up a picture of a man who looked like a much younger version of the person he had met in the hospital.

Ken Robertson had nothing too major on his record and if it weren't for a couple of speeding tickets and a minor assault charge that had been dropped, Jordan figured the man would've been impossible to find in the database.

Satisfied that Ryan's father wasn't a murderer or anything along those lines, he backspaced again and clicked on Ryan's name this time. When her photo popped up on the screen, Parrish wasn't entirely sure if his heart was still beating.

She was just as captivating on his screen as she had been in real life. A bright smile was on her face and when his eyes traveled down the page, he made a mental note that she had only a few parking tickets in the past and nothing else. Ryan Sloane was totally and completely crime free.

When the front door of the station banged softly, Parrish stole one last look at the smiling woman on his screen and focused on the approaching figure that he had come to know all too well.

Agent McCall wasn't well liked within the building and it didn't take too much to realize why. Sheriff Stilinski had been doing a good job at being the sheriff, which was why when Agent McCall had come in and questioned his ability, the entire band of deputies had gotten behind the sheriff, hoping that the whole ordeal would blow over soon enough and then the station could get back to the way it had been when Parrish had first arrived.

The unwelcome agent, who was sporting a nice looking shoulder sling, closed in on Jordan and it took all he had not to glare at the older man. No matter what was about to go down, Agent McCall was technically his superior.

"Where is everyone?" Agent McCall asked and looked over the papers strewn across his desk. "We get a lead on our sword-wielding maniac?"

"Nope," Jordan barely moved his eyes away from the computer screen as he replied, throwing his head over his shoulder and glancing at the cartoonish wanted posters stuck to the wall behind him "but we've got posters up all over town for your guy."

"Not exactly how I described him to the sketch artist." McCall replied and Jordan locked his eyes back on the beautiful blonde still very present on his monitor.

"Well, you're not exactly the highest priority of the tonight, Agent McCall." Jordan shot back, no longer hiding his disdain for the man. There was no reason for the sheriff to have been subjected to a job review, which was the general consensus within the force, Agent McCall was just lucky that there weren't more deputies around, then he'd be in for it for sure.

"What does that mean? What's the high priority?"

"We've got a missing teenager. Stiles Stilinski can't be located by any of his friends or his father." Jordan explained vaguely, hoping to get the agent off his back for the time being. He was unwelcome in the building, didn't he see that?

"Stilinski? Really? Get me everything you've got so far!"

Suddenly the man in front of him seemed more dangerous than he had been just seconds earlier. So what if all the deputies wanted Agent McCall out of their way, he could be a valuable asset, couldn't he? FBI Agents had resources that the tiny sheriff's department didn't, yes, Jordan knew when a good opportunity had presented itself, if the man looming over him wanted to help, well then he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"I'll get you everything I can."

Without waiting for a response, Agent McCall took off for the sheriff's office, pausing only in front of Cordova's desk and taking the folder the second deputy handed him. Jordan listened intently as Cordova muttered something about phone records, but his focus was quickly back on the computer, pulling up the files attached to the missing person that was Stiles Stilinski.

Jordan printed out the information that he had entered on his computer and scribbled the location of the jeep onto a post it, sticking the small yellow sticky note on top of the few pages that had just come out of the printer. Before he could get the packet to the agent, McCall came striding out holding the phone records in his hand.

"Hey, is this the exact transcript of Scott and Stiles's phone call?" Agent McCall questioned and looked at Cordova before locking his eyes on Parrish.

"It's what he gave us." Jordan answered with a firm nod.

"But these words, 'Stiles says: something smells terrible, my eyes are watering'?" Agent McCall stared at him and Jordan lifted his hands up, trying to signify that whatever was written in the package was as much as he knew. Without getting the opportunity to respond to the agent's request, an older woman, a woman Jordan recognized from the hospital all those nights ago, wandered into the adjoining room, catching everyone's attention.

"Hi, I'm Melissa McCall, I was hoping to see Agent McCall."

Agent McCall peeled his feet off the floor and headed in the direction of the woman, leaving Jordan alone now.

Jordan watched the FBI agent close in on Melissa and he found himself wondering what Ryan was up to. Was she somehow involved in the whole situation? Had she found herself in the middle of the investigation simply because she was potentially working at the hospital that night? Had she seen or heard from Stiles at all? Most importantly, was she safe, wherever she was, whether it be her home or the hospital?

Stealing a look at the two McCalls, Jordan shook his head, watching intently as they disappeared, heading right out of the sheriff's station.

Against his better judgement, Jordan looked back down at the screen and dared himself not to bother the gorgeous blonde nurse. Hesitating, he scanned the screen and located the number that was next to the spot labeled 'cell phone'.

His fingers wrapped around his desk phone before he could really think about what he was doing. Maybe he should call the hospital first, maybe he should call the house before bothering her on her personal number. Jordan's hand hovered over the number pad on his phone and he quickly dialed the hospital, hoping that they'd be able to help him without making him look like a complete fool.

On the third ring, what sounded like a young woman answered the phone with the typical greeting, "Beacon Hills Memorial, how can I help you?"

"Um, I'm calling for Ryan Sloane."

"Do you happen to know what department?" The woman asked kindly and Jordan let out a frustrated sigh.

"Well I think it's the emergency department." Jordan answered as best as he could. From what he could remember, she was working on the same floor as the emergency department but she had given him his physical, that didn't seem like anything that would constitute as an emergency.

"Let me transfer you."

Jordan tucked the phone between the side of his head and his shoulder and looked at his desk one more time. She had specifically told him to avoid the nightshift yet here he was, sitting at his desk after the sun had gone down. He barely knew the woman but he already felt bad for not listening to her, she had good reason to tell him that too, Cole Sloane had died while on the nightshift.

"Beacon Hills Memorial, Emergency Department-"

"I'm trying to find Ryan Sloane." Jordan cut in, hoping that this is where he'd find her, this was when he'd make sure she was okay.

"Hang on, let me just page her, I think I just saw her go in with a patient."

"Wait!" Jordan sat up straight in his chair and let out a sigh, knowing that if this woman had just seen her, that had to mean she was unharmed. There wasn't anything more he needed from her, so long as she was alive. "Uh, you don't have to page her if she's busy, can you just tell her that I called?"

"Sure, may I ask who's calling?"

"Deputy Parrish, she can get a hold of me at the sheriff's station."

"Sure thing Deputy."

"You have a good night now."

He hung the phone up and let out a sigh of relief. The thought of something happening to Ryan seemed to hit him harder than he ever could've imagined. There was something about her though, something that tugged at his heart. The idea of Kylie losing her mother in addition to her father was heartbreaking and Jordan vowed to do whatever he could to prevent that.

Checking up on her was a simple enough thing to do, so long as she just stayed out of harm's way, it'd make Jordan's job a lot easier, it was just too bad that his gut was telling him that Ryan Sloane wasn't the type of woman who could just stay out of trouble.

He just hoped his gut was wrong.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

 ** _Thank you to everyone who added this to their favourites and follows, I appreciate every single one of you! Who all agrees with Ryan that Parrish should avoid the nightshift? Dangerous things happen at night, wouldn't you all agree?_**

 ** _19irene96: Oooh, he's thinking about her and they WILL meet again soon! Thank you so much for the review!_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Melissa and Ryan are total girlfriends, I hope you continue to enjoy!_**

 ** _Pluv143000: I know I already replied to your questions but I'll answer them here for anyone else who's not sure which massacre that Cole died in, it was the night that the Kanima attacked. Thank you so much for the review and your great questions, I hope you enjoyed this installment._**

 ** _DeVilDahling: Ah yes, Kylie is rather adorable, but then again, I'm slightly biased. I can't wait until you see her interacting with Parrish!_**

 ** _If there's anything you guys want to say about anything, maybe you have questions that you want answered or things that you want cleared up, just let me know. Leave me a review please and I'll do my best to get back to you. If there's any questions you might have, feel free to PM me, I'm always up for a chat!_**


	4. Chapter 4

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 _ **Chapter 4** **:**_

If Jordan had been hoping for a quiet night in the station, he had been sorely mistaken.

As the clock ticked past midnight and headed into the early hours of the morning, that's when things started to go completely downhill.

An emergency call had been taken and dispatch had requested all available units to Beacon Hills Memorial hospital, which is precisely where the jeep had been seen last. Was it a coincidence that it was now a chaotic mess and that the place was flooded with police and concerned people?

Jordan wasn't entirely sure but he wasn't all that anxious to find out. As quickly as he could, he gathered up his jacket and cruiser keys before making a mad dash out into the parking lot to his vehicle. The doors to the cruiser were unlocked and Jordan climbed inside in no time, immediately jamming the key into the ignition and turning it forward, listening carefully as the engine turned over and quickly roared to life.

Thankful for the GPS unit after each and every mile that he traveled, Jordan made it to the hospital without getting lost or even confused, in the unfamiliar town. When he pulled into the parking lot at the hospital, it wasn't hard to see that everyone within a fifty foot radius was freaking out, panic taking over the entire crowd. There were people surrounding fallen civilians, who were lying nearly motionless on the soaking wet ground; there were cars abandoned and left with their doors wide open, waiting for their owners to return. It wasn't hard to see that some of these cars belonged to the people lying on the ground, who were rightfully remaining in their positions until medical staff cleared them for movement.

Running towards where the sheriff stood across the parking lot, Jordan waited patiently for him to finish his brief conversation with the other deputy before moving to stand in front of the very sheriff himself, taking up his position in the sheriff's line of vision.

"What do you need me to do sir?" Jordan asked politely yet commandingly and the sheriff sucked in a breath, glancing around and taking in the giant mess surrounding him.

"Head inside, ask around, try to get the video feed from the cameras on the outside of the building. My son is _still_ missing and once everyone here is taken care of, that becomes our top priority again." The sheriff instructed quickly and before he could say another word, Jordan took off for the main entrance to the emergency department of the hospital, planning to do exactly what the sheriff had just asked of him.

He continued moving forward, looking around and trying to locate anyone who looked like they worked in security. He surged through the bustling, chaotic crowd and tried to avoid running straight into the staff and patrons littering the halls. He gently shoved a few people out of the way and locked his eyes on a larger man with a security badge on his shoulder and that's where he knew he had to get to. His target was in sight and he began stepping through the mass of people inside the hospital hallways.

Jordan pushed himself forward and continued to move through the people, making little jumps to avoid hitting the other people nearby. He twisted to the left to avoid an older man with a cane and tried to recover, attempting to get his footing back to usual but before he could get himself back on track, he slipped and fell against the wall, or what he thought was supposed to be the wall.

"Oh my god." A small, feminine voice whined out and Jordan turned his head to the side, taking in the sight of Ryan Sloane pinned between his body and the stark white wall.

She lifted her hands up and pressed her palms against Jordan's shoulders, gently shoving him off her. When he was back firmly on his feet, he tossed an apologetic look onto his face and reached his own hands out towards her, preparing himself to survey her for injuries.

"God damn." She muttered and rolled her shoulder back, craning her neck from side to side. "You're pretty heavy, you know that deputy."

Jordan fought back the urge to smile and lowered his hands to his sides. Here she was, the girl that he had called from the station not too long ago in the hopes that he'd be able to find out if she was okay and _he_ was now the reason why she was possibly injured.

"Sorry, I was trying to avoid the man with the cane." Jordan bowed his head and offered her one of his hands. She latched on and gently pulled herself forward, her back peeling away from the wall. With a small huff, she ran her hands down the front of her black scrub shirt and then through her messy ponytail, which was no doubt out of place from their collision.

"Right, so you thought your best bet was to fall into the little blonde woman instead?" Ryan cocked an eyebrow at him and Jordan opened his mouth to apologize once again but her lips pulled up into a smile. "It's fine. Look, I've got people I need to see and you've got things to do, I'm sure we can catch up later."

"Right." Jordan nodded and took a step to the side, readying himself to leave her but hoping that he'd see her again once all the mayhem died down. "Um, good luck."

Ryan nodded back at him and made a move to walk down the hall, "be careful would you?"

"Yeah."

She kept walking but when she was about five steps away, she froze in her tracks and turned back, meeting his curious gaze.

"By the way, I thought I told you to stay away from the night shift." She scoffed and Jordan simply raised his hands into the air in surrender. With a small smile crossing her lips, she turned her head forward and disappeared into the middle of the chaos.

With the thought of Ryan being okay, Jordan continued wandering through the hall, scanning the people once again for the security guy.

He could just barely see the crest on the man's shoulder and Jordan pushed forward, hoping to catch the guy before he disappeared, or worse, before Jordan could run down anymore cute nurses. Reaching his hand out, he straightened his shoulders and opened his mouth.

"Hey, hey you!" Jordan called out and about seven different people looked his way. Using his hand, he pointed his finger directly at the security guy and gave him a nod. "Stay where you are!"

It seemed that once everyone was aware that he was in the hallway, they made way for him. Like he was Moses parting the water, the people stepped off to the side and let him through, Jordan easily moving in on the man and when he was close enough, he took a stance in front of him.

"Deputy." The security guard gave Parrish a nod of acknowledgement and Jordan glanced down to his nametag. Okay, this man's name was Stan, Jordan could work with that. "What can I do to help?"

"I need to see any footage from your tapes-"

"Are you here to talk to me about that jeep that everyone seems to be looking for?" Stan the security guard cut in and Jordan gaped at him for a split second before managing a nod. "The vehicle in question left the hospital a while ago, I think maybe even before this whole mess went down."

Jordan pressed his lips together and turned his attention back down to the entrance that he had come through minutes ago.

"You can be sure of this?" Jordan asked and spotted Ryan darting into another room. He shook his head and tried to focus on the task at hand, which was becoming increasingly difficult knowing that the woman was potentially in danger.

"I saw it leave myself, you can verify that with my partner."

"Your partner saw it too?"

"Sure did, we were standing right outside ready to do our hourly sweep of the lot." Stan explained, Jordan letting out a sigh at his words.

"Thanks, you've been a great help."

Jordan took off away from the security guard and broke out into a run. He dodged the people still crowding the hallways and locked his eyes on his finish line. If he could make it back outside, he could find the sheriff and let him know that Stiles Stilinski's jeep wasn't at the hospital anymore.

As he stepped out into the fresh night air, Jordan took in a deep breath and looked around, locating the sheriff with ease. The older man was standing in almost the same spot, but he was shouting out commands and directing the scared people who were still outside, fearful of what might still happen.

Approaching the sheriff from the side, Jordan glanced out at the mess still very present on the pavement outside.

"Two people said they saw Stiles's jeep leave the hospital." Jordan stated and the sheriff locked his eyes on his deputy.

"Someone needs to find him. Now!"

It was at that moment that Jordan's eyes moved downwards, locking on the FBI Agent that the entire force was not pleased to be working with crouched down just a few feet away. Agent McCall wrapped his hand around a large black tube like object and lifted it up, studying the end. Jordan watched carefully, hoping that the man was at the scene to help and not hinder like he had been known to do.

"Is it me or was this cut?" Agent McCall looked up at the sheriff but quickly dropped his gaze back down, looking out over the soaking wet parking lot. "Tell the others to keep an eye out for signs of sabotage."

Without having to say another word, the sheriff gave Jordan one more look before Jordan took off, making sure that all the other officers were aware that there was still a potential for danger. The idea of sabotage to an electrical wire was freaky enough, add in to that the fact that it was at the hospital, well, that didn't sit well with Jordan at all.

"Parrish!" The sheriff called out after him and Jordan froze, turning back around to face his superior officer. "Be careful!"

Jordan gave the man a nod and finished his rounds up outside. Before heading inside the hospital, he took one long look around and let out a small sigh of relief. There was no one lying on the asphalt anymore, there were already people working on fixing the wire, yes, this was, at least in his books, a minor success.

When he wandered back inside, the halls were significantly less chaotic as well. Anyone that had been gathered there before was either gone or sitting patiently in the waiting room chairs, which was nice for Jordan, it meant that he didn't have to do crowd control. He stepped up to the front desk and set his hands on the top of it, catching the attention of the petite brunette sitting on the chair there.

"Deputy." She smiled up at him and lifted her finger up, implying she needed just one second. Her eyes dropped down to the screen in front of her and Jordan turned his body to the side, feeling the edge of the desk jabbing into his side.

He studied the hallway in front of him and finally felt his own heart starting to slow down. It had been pounding since the very second that he had been called down to the hospital and every minute between then and this moment had been the most awful experience he had endured since he had started on the force.

"What can I do for you Deputy?" The woman's voice broke Jordan out of his little reverie and he turned his attention to her, taking in the sight of her sitting behind the desk. She was dressed in scrubs like the rest of the nurses on the floor but she had a sweater covering her shoulders, which suggested to Jordan that she was the desk nurse and only ever got involved in the action when she absolutely needed too.

"I just wanted to let you, and the rest of the staff on the floor, to be careful. Keep your eye out for anything suspicious and if you think there's anything out of place or even the littlest thing doesn't feel right, you call us." Jordan instructed and the nurse's nose scrunched up in confusion.

"Uh, sure." She nodded her understanding, stood up, leaned over the desk and lowered her voice. "Are we in some sort of danger here?"

Jordan let a sigh rush out over his lips as he gave her a shrug, "we're not entirely sure that this whole situation wasn't orchestrated on purpose."

The desk nurse froze and Jordan figured it was because of what he said. It wasn't until a hand came to rest on his forearm that he realized the two of them were no longer speaking privately. Ryan Sloane now stood next to him, her hand gently pressing on his arm and catching his attention, bringing his eyes to hers.

"Maybe you can explain to me what just happened out there? I've got a lot of scared and confused people walking around here." Ryan remarked with a nervous smile. "Some people are saying that it has something to do with the missing kid."

"Stiles Stilinski." Jordan nodded and Ryan's eyes widened in surprise. "He's still missing."

"Stiles, as in the sheriff's son?" Ryan's jaw clenched and Jordan studied her worried expression. "I used to babysit him when he was a kid."

"We're doing our best to find him, like I was just saying though, if there's something suspicious or anything out of place, please call us."

"Wait, this is more than just a missing kid, isn't it?" Ryan hissed at him and tightened her grip on his arm.

Jordan set his palm overtop of her hand and motioned with his head for her to follow him. He led her into the nearest room and gently shut the door behind him. Ryan stared at him and pulled her hand away before dropping down to sit on the desk in the middle of the room that was typically used for patient/hospital staff liaison meetings.

Ryan crossed her arms over her chest and let out a soft sigh, finally feeling her body starting to relax. Yes, the whole situation had scared her, and she hadn't really known the details, just that there had been a series of accidents outside the emergency entrance, but to hear that Stiles Stilinski was missing, well, that shook Ryan to the core.

She had, just like she said seconds earlier, babysat the teenager when he was a kid and while Stiles had always been a handful, he was generally decently behaved. It wasn't until she started babysitting him and Scott McCall together that things really started to get complicated. The two of them together were way more than just a handful but Ryan had managed to keep the two of them under control, for the most part anyways.

The thought of the very same Stiles Stilinski that she knew, who used to ask her for help with his homework every night that she babysat him when he was a kid, going missing didn't sit right with her.

"We're doing everything we can to try and find him." Jordan spoke, ripping Ryan out of her own head. She nodded her understanding and stared into his eyes, wondering if this very man would be the reason Stiles was returned home, which she knew he would. Stiles Stilinski was a brave young man, he could handle himself, right?

"What does he have to do with what happened out there?" Ryan asked, her voice low and small.

It wasn't hard to tell that she was scared, fearful of what else could possibly happen. The look on her face gave everything away, she didn't want to be in danger and he couldn't really blame her. She had a daughter, little Kylie, to worry about and what would happen to her if Ryan was somehow harmed? That was something that Jordan refused to think too much about.

"We're still investigating." Jordan answered with a sad smile. "Just keep your head up and your eyes peeled for anything that doesn't sit right."

Ryan kept her eyes trained on him but nodded her head yes in understanding. He glanced back at the closed door and turned around, leaving her sitting on the desk. She pushed herself off the wooden surface and strode along behind him, following him as he wandered back out into the hallway.

Before he had a chance to break away from her, she lifted her hand towards him and grabbed at his jacket, catching his attention.

"I should tell my dad to keep Kylie away from the hospital for a while, shouldn't I?"

Jordan took her words to heart, "does she drop by often?"

"Yeah, her and her grandpa bring me lunch most of the time."

"If I were you," he paused and took in a shaky breath, "I'd start bringing my own lunch."

Ryan dropped her gaze to the floor and let her hand fall away from his jacket. Jordan stole one last look at her and directed his body towards the emergency entrance. His feet carried him towards it and when he was just a few feet away from the doors, he paused and looked back, searching for Ryan still standing in the hallway. He caught the back of her heading into one of the rooms off the hallway and with a sad smile, Jordan carried on, hoping he could get his mind off of Ryan Sloane and back into his job.

After all, there was still a missing teenager to find.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Jordan didn't even get to head home after the incident at the hospital and before the sun rose, he was already back at the station. Even if he had, he wouldn't have been able to do much more than take a shower and put back on the same uniform he would've taken off, maybe he would've been able to grab some breakfast but after the excitement from the night still lingering in the air, Jordan wasn't sure he'd be eating much until lunch.

He sat at his desk out in the main room and tried to figure out if they had any viable leads on where Stiles Stilinski had disappeared to. It was a hard task seeing as no one really knew much about where he could be. He didn't seem to have any hideouts or anywhere that he ran to when other kids would be trying to get away from whatever plagued them, no, there wasn't a damn thing that seemed to be any good in leading them in the direction of the sheriff's son.

The kid was missing yet again and the sheriff had looked worried sick when he dragged his feet into his office earlier. Jordan couldn't really blame him though, the mere idea of not knowing where a part of the family had gone to was just awful, terrifying even. Where had the kid gone? Was he okay? Was he in any danger to himself, or others? There were so many unanswered questions that nagged at Jordan's brain.

A movement out of the corner of his eye broke his concentration on his screen and it wasn't until a delivery man approached the front desk not too far from where Jordan sat that he turned his focus away from the task he had been working so hard on. He rose up out of his seat, glad that there was something he could do that would get him away from his computer even if it was just for a few minutes. Maybe a clean slate would do him good and a quick break could really only help him see something that he might've missed earlier.

Wandering around his desk, he closed in on the man in the navy blue uniform carrying a few randomly sized boxes covered in plain brown paper. Clearing his throat, Jordan caught the man's attention and smiled, hoping that he didn't look as exhausted as he was starting to feel.

"How are you today?" Jordan asked and the delivery man held out a clipboard with the order forms on it. Jordan glanced over the information printed there and found the spot where the signature was required, the sheriff's signature to be exact.

"Busy, as always." The delivery man responded and Jordan made a motion with his hand for the man to follow him, the guy grabbed the packages and clutched them against his chest, using the clipboard for support.

Leading him through the room, Jordan ushered him into the sheriff's office, poking his head in first to make sure the man in question was even present. He wouldn't have blamed the man if he was too preoccupied with locating his son to be in his office, hell maybe the sheriff had a lead of his own that he could've been following up on, yet when Jordan looked inside the office, he spotted the sheriff sitting in his chair with a worried expression etched on his face as he stared at his cell phone.

"Sheriff?" Jordan broke in and the sheriff looked his way, the two of them locking eyes before Jordan waved the delivery guy in.

"Yeah." The sheriff muttered and set his phone down on the desk, slowly rising up to his feet.

"He just needs your signature." Jordan looked back at the delivery man who nodded in confirmation. "It's just printer cartridges and stuff. Batteries for the next blackout, not a bad idea, considering the number of electrical problems in this town."

Jordan had barely gotten his words out before Agent McCall barged into the office, gently opening the door. Jordan looked back at him and hoped that the FBI Agent wouldn't give him any more reason to dislike him, McCall was already skating on thin ice when it came to him and the rest of the deputies.

"I know you're a bit preoccupied at the moment." Agent McCall spoke rather calmly and the sheriff stared at him. Jordan wondered if his sheriff was wondering what the hell the other guy was doing in here or if he was simply just distracted by the disappearance of his son.

The sheriff waved his fingers at Agent McCall and the man entered. Jordan took this as his cue and he slipped out of the office just as the sheriff spoke again.

"What is it?"

Blocking out the conversations around him, Jordan watched as the delivery guy disappeared back out of the building. He moseyed on over to his desk and let out a sigh before gently lowering himself back down to the chair and looking at his phone. The little orange light on the corner of the small rectangular ID screen was flashing, signaling that Jordan had a message. Without putting it off for a second, he lifted the receiver up, pressed it against his ear and pushed the button below the screen labeled 'voicemail'.

The robotic voice telling him he had 'one new message' sounded out in his ear and then it prompted him to punch in his voicemail password. Hitting the four numbers in the right sequence, he then pushed the button below the word 'okay' on the screen and listened as the robotic voice called out 'message one'.

"Hey, this is Ryan Sloane, from the hospital. I got a message to call you and I'm sure it's from before all the chaos happened but I figured I'd better call you just to make sure. Anyways, my shift is over but you can reach me on my cell…"

Jordan grabbed hold of the nearest pen and quickly situated a pad of paper in front of him, jotting down the numbers that she left as part of the message. When she finished saying her cell phone number, Jordan listened to the message one more time just to make sure he heard her right. Before hanging up, he scribbled her name across the top of the page and relaxed his shoulder, letting the receiver drop just an inch before he grabbed it and hung it up.

Before Jordan could get a chance to redial the number, the phone started ringing on his desk. So goes the life of a deputy. Lifting the phone back up and holding it against his ear, he answered with a simple 'This is Deputy Parrish'.

"Oh shit, hi." Ryan's voice sounded out in his ear and he couldn't help but smile at her words. He hadn't known her for very long but hearing her swear was rather amusing. He didn't figure she swore an awful lot, seeing as she was a parent, but the word coming out of her mouth sounded funny in her voice.

"I was just about to call you back." Jordan chuckled and he listened as she let out a sigh.

"Okay, well uh, I guess I have pretty good timing then huh?" She sounded nervous, even going as far as to let out a small giggle. "I just wanted to make sure that you didn't still need to talk to me."

"No, no everything's good to go."

"Good. So, can I ask why you called me to start with?" She questioned and Jordan leaned forward, resting his elbows against the desk. How was he supposed to answer her without sounding like a complete stalker? Well he figured that he could hopefully come up with something quick.

"Well you see, I uh, wanted to get a leg up on the whole missing person thing."

"Right, so you specifically called me?"

"I had a question about my physical?" Jordan tried to laugh it off and when Ryan let out a snort of amusement, he figured he was in the clear.

"The girl at the desk could've handled both of those scenarios." Ryan teased and Jordan smiled at how nice her voice sounded in his ear. It wasn't hard for him to realize that he was totally crushing on her, yes, he was already starting to think about her more often than he should be thinking about her and she seemed to be warming up to him lingering around her when she was working and he was doing his job.

Maybe he could just gain that extra bit of courage and actually ask her out.

"She's not nearly as fun to talk to." Jordan couldn't believe how smooth he sounded, how utterly easy it was for the words to flow out of his mouth. "Plus I saw her tonight, you're more my type."

"Oh yeah?" Ryan gasped but quickly broke out into a tiny fit of laughter. "What type is that? Completely uninterested because I hate to break it to you deputy-"

"Please, call me Jordan." Jordan cut in with a smile and she scoffed at him.

"Okay, I hate to break it to you _Jordan_ but whatever it is you're trying to do, I'm not into it. I have my daughter to focus on so from now on I'd appreciate it if we stopped this little dance we've got going on."

"Aw, don't do this to me Ryan." Jordan feigned a dramatic sigh and he could almost see the eye roll that she was most certainly giving him from the other end of the line. "Maybe I just want to be friends."

"Well then maybe we _can_ be friends."

There was a beat of silence on the phone and Jordan listened as Ryan's muffled voice called out for Kylie. He waited for her attention to fall back to the phone call and when she came back on, she let out an exasperated sigh.

"Everything okay?" Jordan asked and tried to keep the concerned tone out of his voice.

"Yeah, my dad's trying to get Kylie off to the sitter's for the day and she's being a bit of a grouch. I should probably go take care of this."

"Alright. Look, if you need anything, anything at all, please feel free to call me. I can give you my cell if you want?" Jordan couldn't believe how hopeful he was that she'd say yes. A blanket of silence fell over them and he wasn't even sure if she was still there. When she finally sucked in a breath, he felt his heart pounding against his chest, hoping she'd say yes.

"If I say no, are you just going to keep calling me at work?" Ryan asked but he could hear a faint teasing tone to her voice.

"That depends."

"Okay, okay fine. I'll take your number, hey, you can even text me and then we won't have to play phone tag all the time." She chuckled, Jordan thinking about how he had left her a message, then she had left him a message before they finally got to speak to each other on the phone.

"Sounds like a plan."

Jordan recited out his cell phone number to her and even managed to get her to read it back to him without making it obvious that he was testing to make sure she had taken it down. They said their goodbyes and with a grin on his face, Jordan hung up the phone, staring down at the cell phone number scribbled on the piece of paper in front of him, wondering what had just sprouted between them. He had gotten her number, she had taken down his. This was the beginning to something, it had to be.

At the very least, Ryan Sloane was starting to become someone he really wanted to get to know better and if he had to settle for just being friends, well that that's what he'd do.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

 ** _Thank you to all of those who have added this story to their favourites and follows, I appreciate every single one of you more than you could imagine!_**

 ** _How are you guys feeling about Jordan and Ryan? Do you guys have any favourite parts to this chapter or any of the others yet? I'd love to hear what you like about it!_**

 ** _19irene96: Oooh, he's thinking about her and they WILL meet again soon! Thank you so much for the review!_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Jordan's got his priorities straight lol, make sure the pretty girl is okay!_**

 ** _Julie: I'm so glad that you liked the first few chapters and I hope you enjoy the rest! Thank you so much for each one of your reviews!_**

 ** _If there's anything you guys want to say about anything, maybe you have questions that you want answered or things that you want cleared up, just let me know. Leave me a review please and I'll do my best to get back to you. If there's any questions you might have, feel free to PM me, I'm always up for a chat!_**


	5. Chapter 5

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 _ **Chapter 5** **:**_

Kylie was supposed to have been heading over to the babysitter's but she had been putting up way too much of a fuss for Ken to handle on his own. Ryan didn't blame him, he didn't technically _have_ to do anything for them so whatever he did do, she was extremely grateful for. Instead of feeding her breakfast and packing up her little backpack for the day, Ken had managed to get Kylie to fall back asleep, on the couch next to him, by reading her part of her favourite story, which was certainly something that Ryan was grateful for. At least if her daughter was asleep, it'd give Ryan a chance to relax in the house before having to start looking after Kylie.

Ryan had been on the phone with Deputy Jordan Parrish while her father had been working on sending Kylie back to dreamland and when she finally managed to hang up the phone, she looked into the living room and smiled at the sight of her father cuddling her little girl in his arms, the storybook open and abandoned on the vacant cushions beside them.

"Did you give up on getting her to the sitter that easily?" Ryan asked with a knowing grin. Yes when Kylie was in one of her terrible toddler moods, it was very hard to get her to do things she didn't want to do. Apparently today she didn't want to go to the babysitter's, and if Ryan was completely honest with herself, she wasn't sure she wanted Kylie to be out of her sight for the day, not after hearing about Stiles Stilinski going missing.

Ryan stepped into the living room and cautiously sat down next to her father, gently leaning against his shoulder and looking down at her sleeping child. Ken turned his head and faced Ryan head on, throwing a smile onto his face too, happy for the peaceful moment with his girls.

"Come on Ry, I can see it all over your face that you want nothing more than to spend the day with her." Ken teased and Ryan carefully reached out, brushing a few strands of Kylie's golden blonde hair away from her face. "What happened to you tonight?"

"Nothing happened to _me_." Ryan responded with a frustrated sigh. "It was just chaos, more so than usual. You're right though, all I want to do is to cuddle up with my baby girl and keep her tucked away from the world for a few hours."

"Sounds like you both need each other." Ken smiled.

"You sticking around then?" Ryan questioned and peered up at her father through her eyelashes. Both of them knew that Ryan was supposed to be sleeping for most of the day so that she was fresh and ready for her next shift that night. If Ken planned on leaving, well then Ryan figured she wouldn't be getting as much sleep as she would've liked. If he stuck around, then he could look after Kylie when she did eventually wake up, leaving Ryan to sleep for a little longer.

"I can, if you want me to." Ken replied and peeled one arm away from Kylie before stealthily slipping it around Ryan's shoulders and holding her against his side. "I was going to head out to the grocery store, you're running low on bread."

Ryan gave her father one firm nod and let her head gently drop down to rest against his shoulder, trying to force the stress from her shift to the back of her mind. She was exhausted, concerned, confused a little bit too from all the horrible things that had gone on while she was on the clock, her body ached from the hours that she had spent at the hospital and then there was Jordan Parrish, who had managed to make her smile when all she wanted to do was cry. What was it about the man and why had she blatantly said she wasn't interested?

Right, yes, it all came down to Kylie. She had to focus on Kylie, plus she had been involved with a deputy before, and that hadn't exactly worked out as well as she would've liked.

Feeling the warmth of her father's body against hers, Ryan let out a loud yawn and lifted her legs up, settling them under her bum on the couch and getting a little bit more comfortable next to the large man beside her.

"You _do_ know that you can do whatever you want, she's my daughter, I can watch her." Ryan said softly and Ken twisted slightly, pressing a gentle kiss against Ryan's head in an attempt to soothe his daughter the slightest bit.

"And you're my daughter, I'm supposed to look after _you_."

Ryan's lips turned up into a smile but she felt her cheeks turning red in embarrassment. Yes she was definitely his daughter and maybe there had been a time when she absolutely needed him to look after her but now she was starting to believe that he needed his own life too, he was entitled to have his own time, without having to worry about her and Kylie.

Kylie was hers to look after, she was responsible for the girl, not her father, yet she would never turn him down on an offer to watch her. Kylie absolutely adored the time she got to spend with her grandpa, in fact her eyes lit up at the mere mentioning of him. No, Ryan wasn't about to put a stop to that.

"Dad, I'm an adult, I think I should be able to handle this stuff on my own."

"No you should've been handling this stuff with Cole but unfortunately bad things happen to good people. Ryan, you know I'd do anything for you, all you have to do is ask."

"I know." Ryan lowered her eyes down to Kylie's peaceful expression. "I don't want to inconvenience you though."

Ken stifled a laugh and grinned at Ryan. He tore his eyes off her and stole a look at his sweet little granddaughter before gently shifting his hold on her.

"You could never inconvenience me, especially when it comes to Kylie here. She may be your daughter and I understand that you want to handle being a parent on your own but she's also my granddaughter and I'm here to spoil her silly." Ken stated with an infectious smile. Ryan soon found her own lips turning upwards at the content expression on his face. "How about you two take a little nap together, I'll run out and pick you up some groceries and then when I get back, I'll look after Kylie for the afternoon and you can get some well deserved shut-eye?"

Ryan inhaled a deep breath and felt her body relaxing against her father's, "that sounds perfect."

Ken carefully shifted Kylie in his arms and set her down gingerly on the couch beside him. Kylie let out a soft coo and when Ken hauled himself off the couch, Ryan made quick work of lying down next to her little girl, drawing her in against her chest and hugging her against her body.

Ryan's eyes remained open as Ken wandered across the floor to the trunk tucked away in the corner of the room. When he opened the lid and grabbed hold of the pillow Ryan kept stashed away there, she couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed, yet again. It had been months since Cole had been ripped away from them yet she was still sleeping on the couch every night, as well as any time she spent sleeping during the day. Part of her felt silly for not sleeping in her own room but another part of her, a bigger part, knew that she wasn't ready to climb back into the bed that she had once shared with Cole.

Ken gave her a small, reassuring smile and pulled out a blanket to go with the pillow before heading back towards her, offering her the pillow from his hold. Ryan cautiously maneuvered it so that it was under her head, Kylie moving slightly in her sleep and resting the side of her face against the soft material too.

"Do you think you'll ever make it back into your bedroom?" Ken asked in a hushed tone, opening the folded blanket once and then once more. Ryan shifted her one shoulder and looked up at him with sad eyes. The idea of sleeping in the bedroom that she had once shared with Cole still pained her, in fact she did well to keep the tears at bay when the mere mentioning of the room came up. She hoped that one day she could sleep in the bedroom like a normal person but for the time being, she knew it was too soon, it still hurt too much.

"Maybe one day dad." Ryan murmured in response.

Without another word between them, Ryan's father lifted the blanket up into the air and let it open up wide. He draped it over her and spread it downwards so that her feet were covered, flashing a smile at the sight of his two girls cuddled together. Ryan didn't have to explain anything to him, not when it came to family. Ken knew all too well that family was important. Ryan and Kylie were really all he had left and there wasn't a damn thing he wouldn't do for them.

"Sleep tight Ry." Ken murmured and turned to walk away, Ryan's eyes were already fluttering shut.

She grasped Kylie a little bit tighter and felt her body melting into the couch cushions. She barely remembered hearing the lock on the front door clicking before she drifted off to sleep, her baby girl safely tucked against her chest where nothing would hurt her.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Everything had happened so fast for Jordan to truly comprehend what was going on. He was already at the high school by the time he realized that the past hour was a complete blur. He didn't remember grabbing his jacket, he didn't remember grabbing keys but he had done both and he had managed to drive himself to the scene where every available unit was now waiting for further instruction.

Apparently ever since William Barrow, also known as the Shrapnel Bomber, had managed to get himself free from the hospital, things were a little more chaotic than usual. Parrish was glad that he hadn't actually been around for mess that had ended up in Barrow's death, but that didn't stop the weird things from happening: weird things like an apparent bomb wrapped like a birthday present stuck on a school bus, which was Barrow's exact signature.

Weird things like that were what send shivers down Jordan's spine, if there was a bomb on a school bus, well that meant that there were people in danger, so many young, high school students. This was a top priority situation and Jordan wasn't entirely sure what to expect when he finally located the sheriff.

There was screaming and yelling all around them, teenagers running ramped as they tried to get away from the buses lined up side by side parked near the school. Jordan closed in on the sheriff and fell in stride next to him as they ran now, the two of them heading for the back of the SUV belonging to the force.

"Get him out of here! Back those kids up! Move!" The sheriff demanded and Jordan turned around the back end of the SUV. He made a grab for the handle and yanked on it but the sheriff lifted his hand and pointed it right at him. "We wait for the bomb squad."

Jordan lifted the back hatch up and stole a quick glance at the sheriff before making quick work of peeling off his deputy jacket, "I'm a certified HDT, two years in the army. I can at least find out if this thing's real."

Tossing his jacket into the trunk, he grabbed hold of the bomb suit, tucked one piece under his arm and reached up, slamming the hatch closed as he headed in the direction of the busses. His cell phone vibrated against his hip but Jordan pushed the feeling to the back of his mind and focused on the task at hand. There was a potential explosive device on one of the busses, there were way too many students still crowded around for his liking, it was time to find out what they were really up against here.

Pulling the suit onto his body, piece by agonizing piece, Jordan secured himself inside the heavy duty material as the sheriff stood next to him, making sure that any lingering students knew to get the hell out of the way,. His phone vibrated against his hip once more but he didn't have time to stop, he didn't have time to check it. There were too many lives at stake here, too many people who could get hurt and if he could stop anything from happening, then he'd be grateful. As soon as it was safe, he'd check his phone and not a second sooner.

Once he was secured inside his explosive protection, Jordan let out a low, nervous breath and shook out his arms, hoping for the best possible outcome.

All he knew for sure was that there was a kid on the bus near the back with a wrapped present in his hands. It had a ribbon wrapped around it and bow on top, which meant that if the rumours surrounding the Shrapnel Bomber were true then this particular scenario was all too real; it was all too possible that the gift on the teenager's lap was a real bomb and everyone was in serious danger.

The sheriff gave him a nod of approval and Jordan cautiously wandered towards the side door on the bus, slowly taking the steps up and standing on the rubber matted floor between the rows of seats. He sucked in a breath and looked at the terrified teenager sitting on the bus all alone and made his way down the aisle, all the while trying to keep his own composure together. If he could keep the kid calm, then maybe they'd both get off this bus alive, maybe they would both survive this whole, terrifying ordeal.

Before Parrish closed in on the kid, his radio just barely sounded out from underneath his explosive protection vest letting him know that the kid on the bus' name was Jared. He had already heard that the lone boy was prone to vomiting in stressful situations and in this particular instance, Jordan could easily dub this a stressful situation. As much as he would've preferred not to deal with throw up, he knew it was a very real possibility.

He stepped up next to the boy and dropped down into a crouch so that he was eye level, trying to keep his calm demeanor as he moved closer to the potential explosive on the boy's lap.

"Jared, it will be very helpful if you could resist throwing up on the potential explosive device." Jordan paused and met the kid's terror filled eyes. "Hey, can you do that for me?"

Sweat beaded on Jared's face, mainly his forehead, upper lip and chin, and Jordan couldn't help but try to make light of the situation. Maybe if he could convince Jared that everything wasn't as serious as it seemed, then maybe he could get the kid to keep calm long enough so that he could do his thing.

"I think so." Jared stammered and looked downwards as Jordan moved his hand to the side of the giftwrapped box. He held a pair of scissors in his hand, which had been tucked in his pocket, and moved it towards the ribbon, slipping one of the blades against the box. "You- you look really-"

"Handsome?" Jordan cut him off and glanced up at him, trying to signify with just his expression that everything was going to be a-okay. His ultimate plan was to cut the ribbon while Jared was paying attention to what he was saying, distraction was the easiest ploy and Jared would fall right into it, at least that's what Jordan was hoping for. "Thank you. For a second there, I thought you were going to say I look really young and I was going to have to launch into my explanation about how I'm actually twenty-four and that anyone can look young if they eat right and exercise. Although it's probably just good genes anyway, right?"

He cut the ribbon and Jared caught wind of the snipping sound before turning his head towards the window, squeezing his eyes shut tight and letting out a gasp, probably preparing for the all-telling kaboom. After a few seconds, and nothing happening, Jared cautiously turned his head back towards the package and met Jordan's gaze.

With his focus still on the box, Jordan pressed his index fingers and thumb against the lid of the gift, slowly, carefully lifting the top off the box. Jared's eyes never left the bow on the top of the wrapped package as Parrish lifted it up just enough so that he could slide it back, forcing it off the bottom portion of the box.

When the opening was wide enough for him to see in, Jordan leaned over it slightly and studied the contents inside.

"Huh." Jordan sighed and shook his head. He let go of the box with one hand and grabbed hold of his radio, pushing down the talk button and waiting a split second for the lag before speaking. "It's not a bomb, sir, but there is something in the box."

He let go of the button and grabbed the nameplate inside, holding it in his hand as he stood up straight and stalked to the front window of the bus. The sheriff was looking through the glass at him and Jordan quickly closed the distance between him and the window. When he was right up at the front, he lifted the nameplate up and pressed it against the window with a perplexed look on his face. He gave the sheriff a nod and pulled the nameplate away, remaining right where he was standing inside the front window of the bus, watching as the sheriff's lips moved before the older man turned his attention to the crowd behind him.

"We have to warn the station! Let's go!" The sheriff's voice was loud, panicked and terrified and all at once Jordan gave Jared a quick, lame thumbs up before hopping down the steps in the front of the bus.

His feet hit the pavement below him and he took off in a run after the sheriff, chasing the man down as he made his way into the SUV parked nearby, the engine starting up just as Jordan hopped into the passenger seat.

As the Sheriff sped off towards the station, Jordan began to strip out of his protective bomb suit as best as he could, tossing the pieces into the backseat once they were free from his body. He readjusted his radio on his shoulder and looked out the front window, not bothering to say anything to the sheriff for fear that he'd distract him and cause an accident, especially at the speed they were driving.

The ground shook beneath them as they rode along on the road and when a cloud of dark grey smoke erupted from the building that was supposed to be the sheriff's station, Jordan flinched. It was at that second that his phone vibrated against his hip for a third time, only now he was in a car and they were still a couple of minutes away from reaching the blown out building.

Digging into his pocket, Jordan pulled out his cell phone and glanced at the screen, looking at the small message icon with the number '3' above it. Yes, he was well aware that he had three messages, he had felt every single one vibrating against his thigh.

Bringing up the message screen, he furrowed his eyebrow at the first text message 'saw about the bomb threat on the news, are you okay'. Jordan glanced at the number attached to the text message and vaguely realized that this was very similar to the number that Ryan had left him, the very number that was written on a piece of paper on his desk, or at least what was left of his desk anyways.

Well that was certainly unexpected, the same girl that had blatantly stated that she wasn't interested had texted him because she was worried he was hurt. If the situation at hand weren't as dire as it was, Jordan might've smiled at her concern for him.

He moved to the next text message and read it in his head, this one was the one from when he was walking onto the bus, and it read 'not cool Jordan, I'm really worried now, I guess I'll just have to head to the sheriff's station and check on you myself'. Jordan's body went rigid and he felt his heart pick up in pace. If Ryan had stayed true to her words, she was either on her way to the station or she was already there. If she was already there, did that mean she had been involved in the explosion? Was she hurt? Was she alive even?

And what about Kylie? If Ryan was heading for the sheriff's station, would she have taken Kylie with her?

The sheriff rounded the corner and the station came into view. Jordan seized the last few remaining seconds and pulled up the third and final message. 'Jordan I'm leaving my house at this very second'. That was it, that's all that the message said. He stared at the screen and wondered how close she lived to the sheriff's station. Would she get there before them? Had her house been affected by the blast?

When the sheriff pulled over on the road in front of the blackened sheriff's station, Jordan whipped his door open and leapt out, lifting the phone up and pleading with it to ring, or vibrate. He just needed to know that Ryan, and most importantly her little girl, were unharmed.

"Parrish, get everyone that you can out of there!" The sheriff yelled at him and Jordan quickly slipped his phone into his pocket, pushing the thought of Ryan and Kylie being at the scene to the back of his mind.

Carefully heading into the remnants of the sheriff's station, Jordan lifted his arm up and covered his mouth and nose with it, preventing the suffocating smoke from getting into his lungs. He pressed forward and paused at the sight of his very own desk, charred and broken, before surging on ahead. There were officers laying on the floor every which way he turned but each and every officer already seemed to have someone by their side, someone talking to them, trying to calm them and soothe them.

Jordan jumped at the vibration against his hip and drove his hand down to grab his cell phone, ripping it free from his pants pocket. He looked at the screen and felt the air rushing back into his lungs. If Ryan had been hurt in the blast then there was no way for her to have texted him just now.

Without even bothering to read the entire text, he rushed outside and looked down either side of the street, watching for a car that contained the girl that he had been so worried about during the entire drive to the station.

As soon as a black sedan pulled up behind the sheriff's SUV and the blonde haired nurse jumped out of the driver's side, Jordan took off in a mad dash towards her, slowing down only when he was within a few feet of her. Ryan opened her arms and leapt at him, burying her face in his chest. He reluctantly let his arms drop down to rest against her back and he dared to steal a glance into the car, little Kylie was sitting in the backseat, secured into her car seat.

"You can't do that." Ryan murmured and tilted her head back, looking up at him with tears welling up in her eyes. "You can't just give a girl your number and not text her back."

"I'm sorry." Jordan whispered in response and ran his hands up and down her back. "I was a little busy."

"So I saw." Ryan forced herself to suck in a gulp of air. "I heard your name mentioned on the TV, you shouldn't be allowed to go onto a bus where people think there's a bomb, not when you've gone through so much just to get my number."

Kylie let out a squeal from the car and Ryan stumbled as she pulled her body away from Jordan's. She moved to the back door and whipped it open, bending over and leaning into the car. Jordan took a few steps closer to the vehicle and rested his forearms on the top of the open back door, watching in awe as Ryan flawlessly freed her daughter from the car seat. When she straightened up and turned to face Jordan, Kylie was clinging to her now, her little arms around her neck and her head resting on Ryan's shoulder, a stuffed monkey clutched in her one hand.

"Ryan, I'm fine." He reassured her and reached a hand out, gently running his palm over Kylie's back and eliciting a low giggle from the little girl. Kylie moved her one hand, the one with the monkey, away from her mother's neck and dangled the stuffed creature in front of Jordan with a smile.

" _Still_ , you can't just do that." Ryan breathed the words out, the woman was clearly exasperated and after the slaughter at the sheriff's station that had resulted in her husband's death, Jordan knew he couldn't really blame her for driving all the way down just to make sure that he was okay.

"Hi guy!" Kylie giggled and wiggled her hand, causing the monkey to do a little dance, which easily drew Jordan's attention away from Ryan. "See my monkey."

Jordan smiled at the little girl and nodded that yes he could see her monkey. Ryan clutched the girl tighter against her chest and ran her hand over the back of the little girl's head.

"I'm sorry that I scared you, I really am and I hate to do this but you need to get Kylie out of here." Jordan glanced down at the pavement and hoped that Ryan would understand. This was a crime scene, there was smoke still billowing out of the station, Kylie wasn't safe, hell Ryan wasn't safe either but his main priority was the little girl.

"No, no I get it. You're right." Ryan reached a hand up and swiped at her eyes, trying to keep her tears from escaping her eyes. "It was stupid for us to come down here."

"It wasn't stupid." Jordan offered with a smile. "I just don't want you two to get hurt."

Ryan pressed her lips together and nodded her understanding. Before she had a chance to duck down back into the car, Kylie threw her monkey right at Jordan's chest. The deputy caught it before it hit the ground and held it out to the little girl, Ryan rolling her eyes at her daughter's behaviour.

"She's been a little devil all day." Ryan muttered and made a move to take the monkey out of Jordan's hand. Jordan handed it over willingly and stole a look at Kylie who was grinning at him. Ryan made quick work of tucking the monkey's legs into the front pocket on her jeans, Kylie's legs flinging back and forth now in an attempt to kick it free and send it flying yet again.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Jordan stifled a laugh as Kylie stuck her tongue out at him, her legs no longer moving back and forth. Ryan twisted her body towards the backseat and went to bend down but Jordan reached out and gently set his hand on her shoulder, bringing her attention back to him. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Ryan nodded her head at him and forced a smile onto her face, wondering if Jordan Parrish could even begin to imagine how terrified she had been when he didn't respond. She did know, all too well, that he was a deputy and there were times when deputies couldn't respond to texts but this was an entirely different situation. She had been scared that she'd lose out on the opportunity to get to know Jordan and as much as she had bluntly said she was uninterested, there was a part of her that was curious about him.

He seemed like a nice guy, he was nothing but polite and well mannered. In a lot of women's eyes, he was probably the perfect man, which prompted Ryan to want to get to know him even more. If he was such a good guy, why was he here, in Beacon Hills, and did he have something he was trying to hide?

"It's fine, I'm just glad that you're okay." Ryan said softly and ducked down, setting her hand on the back of Kylie's head to protect her in case something sent her off course. Jordan simply watched as Ryan fastened the tot back into the car seat, easily avoiding her little fists as she flailed them around.

Ryan freed the monkey from her pocket and set it on Kylie's lap before straightening up and shutting the car door. Jordan stifled a laugh as the stuffed monkey hit the glass of the window and Ryan growled at her little girl, who had just attempted to throw her monkey at the two of them.

"She's really been like that all day?" Jordan was desperately trying to fight off a grin and even Ryan's stony exterior was starting to crack.

"Well not quite all day, she fell asleep after I got off the phone with you this morning, we had a nap together." Ryan explained with a small smile.

"Then next time I'm cranky, I'll have to give you a call." Jordan chuckled and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Why's that?" Ryan cocked her head to the side and studied him, taking in the sight of his handsome face, each and every detail making him all the better in her head.

"Isn't that how it works, if I'm cranky, I get a nap with you."

"Cute Jordan." Ryan scoffed and stepped forward, hoping he'd back away and let her into her car. He didn't budge though and Ryan just stepped closer to him, eliminating most of the space between their bodies.

"Next time you text me, I'll try to reply before you have the chance to hunt me down." Jordan said in a low voice.

"Okay." Ryan nodded her head and brought her eyes up to meet his. "Sounds fair."

"Be safe." Jordan bowed his head and took a step back, letting the space widen between them. Ryan scoffed at his words, as if she needed to be safe, he was the one going around chasing bombs and explosives. With a shake of her head, she pulled open her door and slipped into the car, Jordan gently shutting it once she was safely inside.

As Ryan started the car and pulled away, Jordan couldn't help but glance into the backseat, watching as Kylie stretched out in an attempt to grab hold of the monkey. Before they were out of his sight, he let out a snort of amusement as the stuffed monkey hit Ryan in the shoulder.

He couldn't help but think that the two of them were maybe exactly what he'd want, one day.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

 ** _Do you guys think Ryan will ever make it back into her bedroom? And oooh Ryan showing up at the station to make sure he's okay, what'd you think of that?_**

 ** _Thank you to all of those who have added this story to their favourites and follows, I appreciate every single one of you more than you could imagine!_**

 ** _winchesterxgirl: Oh it definitely HAS begun! Thank you so much for the review!_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Easing into a relationship, of course, Ryan has Kylie to worry about too. Thanks for the reviews!_**

 ** _Julie: Wow, thank you so much, seriously, just thank you. I really hope you continue to read and enjoy this story!_**

 ** _If there's anything you guys want to say about anything, maybe you have questions that you want answered or things that you want cleared up, just let me know. Please leave me a review and I'll do my best to get back to you. If there's any questions you might have, feel free to PM me, I'm always up for a chat!_**


	6. Chapter 6

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 _ **Chapter 6** **:**_

Jordan Parrish had grown accustomed to his new desk in no time. He wasn't going to complain either way, the entire sheriff's station had been blown to pieces, which meant that a lot of the staff inside were either off with injuries, off on mourning or just moved to a different location within the building. Overall, Jordan hadn't faired too badly, he had gotten a new desk out of the deal and he had been picking up some overtime.

The only negative about all his newfound working hours was that he was making up for the deputies that were off for whatever reason, that and he hadn't seen or spoken to Ryan since the explosion.

Under normal circumstances, he would've been just fine with that but he could remember telling the girl to bring her own lunches to work, which ultimately meant Ryan wouldn't be seeing her daughter as often as she once had. Jordan just hoped that the town of Beacon Hills would calm down soon so that everyone, including himself, could get back into a groove of sorts.

It was getting rather hard to focus, with Ryan constantly on his mind, he knew he was going to have to do something about her sooner rather than later. Sure she had stated that she wasn't interested but that had been before she showed up at the site of the explosion to make sure he hadn't been hurt, what exactly did that mean for him? Was she coming around to the idea of letting him into her life?

Even if all she wanted to be was friends, Jordan knew that that was better than not having her as anything.

"Hey, where's the sheriff?" One of the other deputies in the station wandered over towards Jordan, pulling him out of his reverie. He turned to face the approaching lawman and watched as another deputy threw out an answer.

"Stilinski's out for the day."

"So the Katashi murder is now a Federal Investigation." Jordan cut in, hoping that maybe if these other deputies got a move on things, he could take off for a few minutes and run an errand or two. "Everything here that wasn't blown up needs to be placed in lockup."

"Okay, well, when's that happening?" The first deputy questioned and Jordan slowly rose to his feet.

"There's an armoured car coming to pick it all up tonight." Jordan answered easily. Yes, he had all this information, he had been put in charge of the evidence being moved. The sheriff had left him to deal with everything regarding Katashi and for that, Jordan was grateful.

He was ready to prove himself to the sheriff; being a Beacon Hills Deputy for as short of a period as he had been hadn't provided him with all that many opportunities to shine. He had found a few though, the bomb on the bus threat where Jordan had jumped right in, he hadn't shied away from walking onto the bus, even if there was an active bomb threat. If it meant saving people that were otherwise innocent, well he'd do what he had to, that was why he did what he did to start with.

"Who's taking care of guarding the load up?" The first deputy asked and Jordan lifted his hand up and pointed to himself. "You got any backup?"

"Just the guys with the truck." Jordan smirked and the deputy let out a little chuckle. Well if Jordan wasn't going to be needing any help, that meant that the rest of the force could focus on the other important cases floating around the station. If he could free up more of the other staff, then maybe Jordan could help give them the opportunity to crack more unsolved files.

"You sure you don't want any help or anything?" The deputy leaned down and lowered his voice.

Maybe he thought that Jordan was too proud to ask for help, maybe he was giving him the option to take his help without letting the rest of the force get the idea that Jordan couldn't handle himself. Maybe the deputy was offering his help because he knew that even the simplest job a deputy could land was still extremely dangerous. After all, it had been a slow night at the station when the massacre had occurred, no one wanted to lose any more deputies.

"I got it, but thanks." Jordan nodded and the deputy lifted his hand up, gently patting Jordan's shoulder before walking away and disappearing down the hall.

Letting out a deep breath, Jordan turned his attention back to the screen of his computer and debated his next move. He knew he wasn't going to be able to give the mission his entire focus, not until he spoke to Ryan anyways. He wasn't entirely sure what her shifts were like at the hospital, from what he could gather, she worked nights but that was about it. She had been working well past sunset both times that he had seen her at Beacon Hills Memorial but did that mean that was her permanent schedule?

Glancing down at his watch, he took note that it was just before sunset, the sky was starting to dim slightly outside, and Jordan knew that he wanted to show up at the hospital with lunch for Ryan, he just couldn't decide if he had time to do it before he was supposed to be at the armoured truck, which meant that he'd have to stop by after he had the truck loaded up and on its way.

Shaking his head, he stood up and headed for the locker room, where he promptly grabbed his jacket and slipped his arms into the sleeves. He dug into the pocket on his jacket, wrapped his hands around the cruiser keys that he kept there and wandered back out towards his desk, where he stepped around the furniture and came to stand in front of the deputy who had been there when the first deputy approached.

"I'm running home to grab a shower, I'll be back in time to load up the truck but if the guys get here before I get back, do you mind covering for me?" Jordan requested with a charming smile.

Yes, he had showered earlier, soon after the explosion, but he still felt dirty constantly and he knew he still smelled faintly like smoke. If nothing exciting was happening until later, he was going to take advantage of the down time.

"Sure thing Deputy." The guy nodded and Jordan nodded right back, knocking his knuckles against the edge of the guy's desk. With a smile on his face, he moved away from the deputy and headed for the door of the station.

The sun was still in the sky, but it was getting lower and lower, moving closer to the horizon. He figured he had over an hour, most likely two, before anything exciting happened at the station, which meant that he had plenty of time to go home and shower, and then make a quick stop on the way back to the station.

It wasn't until he was halfway home, driving his cruiser, that a thought had hit him. If he was going to be bringing Ryan lunch at the hospital, didn't that mean he had to know what she liked to eat? Maybe she was allergic to peanuts, or shellfish, what if she was allergic to something way more common, like wheat or flour?

Letting out a loud groan, Jordan slowly pulled over to the side of the road and rested his forehead against the top of the steering wheel. Suddenly his grand gesture had grown miles more complicated. He slipped his cell phone out of his pocket and looked at the screen.

He could certainly text her and ask her what she liked to eat but that would totally ruin the whole premise of it being a surprise. His eyes lit up at yet another idea and before he could think twice about what he was doing, he dialled the number for the front desk at the sheriff's station.

When one of the deputies on duty answered the phone, Jordan was quick to request Ken Robertson's contact information. Thankfully the deputy didn't ask why Jordan needed it but if he had, he was prepared to tell him that needing the information was for police business. That would be enough to placate the deputy at the desk.

Jordan nabbed a pen out of the console, tucked the phone between his ear and shoulder and began writing the man's contact information on the back of his hand. He repeated the phone numbers, both cell and home, back to the deputy on the line to confirm that he had gotten them written down correctly.

With a polite thank you, Jordan freed his phone from his ear and ended the call. With quick fingers, he punched in Ken Robertson's cell phone number and sucked in a deep breath. Was he nervous? Was this sudden feeling in the pit of his stomach all because Jordan was a little anxious as to what the man was going to say to him when he asked what his daughter liked to eat?

Ryan was this man's daughter and Jordan knew how protective fathers could be, but he was a deputy, that had to count for something, didn't it?

Well not if Ken Robertson felt the same way about deputies as Ryan did, which was a very real possibility. Cole had died because he was a deputy, what if Ken wanted his daughter to stay away from anyone in law enforcement for fear that she'd get hurt again?

Letting out the breath he had sucked in, Jordan hit the call button and lifted the phone up to his ear, listening as it rang. Part of him was hoping that it would go to voicemail, yes, Jordan was excellent at leaving voicemails. Another part of him hoped that the man would answer because he didn't want to have to wait for him to call back, or at the very worst, call Ken one more time.

It was better to get this sort of thing over with before he lost his nerve.

"Ken here!"

"Hello there Ken, this is deputy Jordan Parrish-"

"Oh god!" Ken groaned and Jordan furrowed his eyebrows in confusion at the man's concerned tone. He let a blanket of silence fall over them before it hit him; Ken wasn't expecting a phone call from a deputy, nobody ever really _expected_ phone calls from deputies, they came as a shock, usually to inform next of kin that something bad had happened.

"No sir! Oh I'm so sorry, this is just a casual phone call." Jordan shot back, hoping that he hadn't given the older man a heart attack. "I apologize if I worried you."

Jordan listened carefully, hoping that Ken didn't just hang up on him for the cruel joke he had unintentionally played.

"Thank you." Ken murmured and let out a soft sigh. "Ever since…since that night, I've just dreaded getting another phone call from the sheriff's department."

Jordan nodded his understanding and, upon realizing that the man couldn't see him, cleared his throat and spoke again, "I understand sir, and again, I'm very sorry."

"It's not your fault deputy." Ken said solemnly and Jordan's heart picked up in speed. He hadn't meant to scare anyone, let alone Ken Robertson, but that's exactly what he had done.

"Sir, I should've known better. I'm not calling to tell you anything and I didn't mean to scare you."

"Like I said deputy, it's not your fault. What can I help you with?" Ken asked and Jordan was thankful that the man was ready to get right down to business. He wasn't sure if he could've continued with the casual conversation after he had thrown the man into a fit of worry.

"Well I was uh, I was planning on stopping by the hospital on my way home later tonight and I know that there's a bit of a uh, for lack of a better term, a lockdown there. I was just calling to make sure that you weren't going to be heading up there to drop food off for Ryan." Jordan laid it all on the line and hoped that the older man wouldn't laugh in his face.

Ken Robertson, from the few minutes that Jordan had been around him, seemed like a reasonable person, he seemed to be the type of person who understood that protocols were put in place to protect those that needed to be protected. Had Jordan misjudged the man, had he assumed that Ken wouldn't go to the hospital when the man was really planning to go all along?

"Are you checking up on all the people who are related to hospital staff or just me?" Ken teased and Jordan let out a low whistle.

"So far, just uh, just you." Jordan answered honestly and silently prayed that this conversation would stay at a level that was just a tiny bit awkward and uncomfortable and not get any worse for him.

"Well I generally tend to follow the rules and if someone says that I should stay away from the hospital for my own good, then you can expect me to stay away from the hospital, unless, of course, I need medical attention." Ken continued to tease him and Jordan found his lips moving upwards into a little bit of a smile. "Although that means my poor daughter will have to eat vending machine food because she has apparently forgotten her lunch here at home."

"Oh no, that's terrible." Jordan feigned sadness and let out a chuckle. "Whatever can you do about that?"

"You're a deputy, is this a matter for the police?" Ken laughed right back and Jordan felt the weight of the world lifting off of his shoulders.

This man, the father of Ryan Sloane, grandfather to little Kylie, was giving Jordan a run for his money. When he had dialled the number, he had convinced himself that the older man would've been against Jordan being near his daughter, yet here he was baiting him. The old man had cast his line out and Jordan had taken it, hook, line and sinker.

"It _could_ be classified as police matters. I could always swing by and pick up the lunch and deliver it to the hospital, if, of course, you classify this as an emergency."

"I wouldn't want my poor girl to starve." Ken jeered and Jordan relaxed in the driver's seat. "Seriously boy, I think her and I would both appreciate it if you stopped by and picked it up. Poor girl never has time to grab anything decent to eat unless it's packed in a brown paper bag."

"Understood sir, I'll swing by shortly and pick it up." Jordan smiled.

"I'm at Ryan's house, you know the address?"

"I can look it up." Jordan answered.

"I'll be expecting you soon then." Ken said firmly.

"I'll be right over."

"One more thing deputy, just come on in, I'll leave the door unlocked. Kylie's down for the night and I'd appreciate it if she stayed that way."

Jordan glanced out the front window of his cruiser and nodded, "got it sir."

The phone clicked and the line went dead. Before Jordan could reconsider what he had just gotten himself into, he punched in a call to the front desk yet again and requested Ryan Sloane's address. Once he had the information locked into his head, Jordan hung up and pulled back onto the road.

Now all he had to do was remain calm, cool and collected when he finally showed up at the hospital, whenever that would be.

XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX

The first thing Jordan noticed when he pulled into the driveway was that Ryan had a very nice house. It was bigger than he had been expecting, but then again, he had it in his head that she was a single mom, and in his mind, a lot of single moms struggled, hell there were a lot of single parents, moms and dads, that were struggling. It was obvious, by the size of the house, and by the decency of the neighbourhood, that Ryan was providing her daughter with the best life she possibly could.

He parked his cruiser next to a large, black pick-up truck, which he assumed was Ken Robertson's, and turned his cruiser off. He sat in the car for a few seconds and tried to keep himself calm. This wasn't a big deal, this was just Jordan stopping by to pick up lunch for Ryan, which her father had made. The entire situation had his gut twisted in knots.

Sure he had met Ken before but it was only for a quick few minutes and then the man was gone. Ken Robertson was slightly intimidating and Jordan just hoped that the man wouldn't have any idle threats for him pertaining to his daughter.

Sucking in a huge gulp of air, Jordan pulled the keys out of the ignition and pocketed them before climbing out of the cruiser. He placed his hands at his sides and approached the front door, lifting his hand up to knock before stopping dead in his tracks.

Ken had explicitly told him to just come on in for fear that any noise would wake up Kylie. Jordan held his breath as he wrapped his slightly shaking hand around the handle and pushed the tiny little lever down, the door instantly swinging open into the house. Jordan hesitantly stepped over the threshold and gently shut the door behind him before wandering further inside the house.

He seized his opportunity and glanced around, taking in the sight of the photos of Kylie and Ryan littering the walls. There were a couple with Kylie, Ken and Ryan, but for the most part it was just the little girl and her mother.

While Jordan was familiar with how Cole Sloane looked, Jordan had been snooping through the police files, he made a mental note that none of the pictures contained Ryan's late husband and any of the pictures where Kylie was just a wee little baby were lacking any parents.

"Is that you deputy?" Ken called out softly and his head poked out of a doorframe, where there was currently a lack of door. Jordan quickened his pace and closed in on the man, stepping into the kitchen behind Ken.

"No door?" Jordan asked quietly and motioned towards the vacant door frame.

"You don't have kids do you?" Ken smirked at him and stepped towards the fridge across the room.

"I don't." Jordan answered and watched intently as Ken pulled the fridge door open, grabbed hold of a brown paper bag with Ryan's named scrawled across the top in messy little kid writing, and shut the fridge. Ken locked his eyes on Jordan and smiled at the young deputy as he stepped closer to him, extending the lunch towards Jordan, who took it in his own hands.

"Kylie was, well she _still_ is, a little bit rambunctious so one night while Ryan was at work and Cole was on patrol, I was left babysitting. Now I may not be as quick on my feet as I used to be but Kylie, my god, as soon as she could walk, she moved as quick as a fox. So this particular night I was watching her, she got away from me for two seconds and when I finally found her, she was sitting on the floor crying her little eyes out with a cut on her forehead from the edge of the door." Ken began to explain and Jordan couldn't help but smile at the mental picture. What he wouldn't give to have a family of his own, someone he could love just as much as Ken seemed to love his girls.

"So you took the doors off?" Jordan asked with a slight little laugh.

"Just the ones on the main floor, and not the one to the basement, I wouldn't want Kylie to fall down the stairs. So that one always stays shut but other than that, it's just doorframes on the main floor." Ken answered with a laugh of his own. "All this time later and Kylie's still a little on the wild side, but she's a good kid for the most part."

"She's quite adorable." Jordan remarked and Ken nodded his head. "I'm uh, I'm sorry for your loss…for Cole. I'm sure he was a great man."

Ken bowed his head and looked down at his feet before sucking in a nervous breath, "Cole was perfect for my little girl and he loved Kylie more than anything in the world. It's hard, every day it's hard on all of us, but we get through it."

"Well I'd say you and Ryan are doing a wonderful job with that little girl." Jordan tossed out and Ken brought his eyes up, tears clouding his vision. Jordan forced a smile onto his face and felt his heart going out to the entire Sloane family.

"What scares me the most is that Kylie's going to grow up and not remember her father. She was only three when he was taken from us." Ken said, his voice catching on certain words. The older man was doing well to keep the tears at bay but Jordan knew how hard it must be for Ken to have to endure what he was going through.

"I'm sure you won't let her forget him." Jordan dropped his gaze to the brown paper bag and tried not to push the issue any more. He didn't know what he'd do if the tears in Ken's eyes actually got free. "I noticed that there aren't any pictures of him on the walls though."

"That's Ryan's doing." Ken breathed the words out and took a few steps to the left, gently dropping down on one of the chairs around the wooden kitchen table. Ken motioned for Jordan to follow suit and the young deputy sat down across from him. "She's a great mom and she's the best daughter a man could ask for but she's hurting, real bad. Not long after Cole, after he uh, passed on, she went through all the pictures in the house and hid away any that had Cole in them, including the picture of the three of them that resided on their bedside table. She's not handling it as well as I'd hoped but then again, who am I to judge."

"Where's Ryan's mother?" Jordan asked in a soothing voice.

"She's been gone for quite a few years. I can't imagine the death of her mother helps her any after losing Cole too. She's scared that the people she loves will leave her, whether by choice or because they're ripped away from her." Ken explained and let his hands fall against the table, his palms pressing against the surface. "I don't know what your intentions with Ryan are and she's old enough to make her own decisions but you have to promise me, whether you and my daughter become friends, or something more, that you won't hurt her."

Jordan pressed his lips together and let the man's words sink in. He had been nervous when he first pulled in, he had been scared that Ken Robertson would give him a piece of his mind and tell him that he wasn't going to allow a deputy like himself get near his daughter for fear that she'd end up hurt. This was a total twist of events.

"I could never hurt her." Jordan shook his head. "Even if it wasn't my job as a deputy to protect people, I still wouldn't let anything hurt her, or anyone else for that matter."

Ken let out a small snort of amusement and his lips spread into a sad smile, "If you _are_ trying to get close to my daughter, just don't push her. She's been through a lot already."

"I swear I won't hurt her, I won't push her, I won't do anything to her. I just want a chance to get to know her." Jordan said sincerely and Ken gave him a slight nod of approval.

"Maybe you can stop by one night for dinner then, you can hang out with Kylie, I'm sure she'd love a new friend." Ken chuckled and blinked his eyes a few times, pushing the tears away for the time being. Jordan simply smiled at the man's offer and rose up to his feet.

"We'll see how the drop off goes." Jordan laughed right back and lifted the bag up. "I should get going though; I still have some police work to take care of."

Ken rose up to his full height too and trailed after Jordan as he headed back towards the front door. Jordan gingerly pulled the door open and stepped out onto the front step, Ken taking up residence in the doorway.

The older man watched as Jordan retreated to his cruiser, climbing inside and turning the vehicle on. As Jordan backed out of the driveway, the brown bag resting on the seat next to him, he couldn't help but wonder where he and Ryan would end up.

Would they simply be friends or would they end up as so much more.

Only time would tell.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

 ** _Guy, I'm feeling pretty discouraged, I don't know if you guys are iking this story. I do appreciate everyone who's added it to their favourites and alerts but I'd love to hear what you think, feedback is always welcome!_**

 ** _winchesterxgirl: Thank you so much and I wholeheartedly agree about nap time!_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Ken's doing the best he can to make sure his family's taken care of. Cranky Kylie is fun to write too and there will definitely be some Jordan/Kylie interactions soon!_**

 ** _If there's anything you guys want to say about anything, maybe you have questions that you want answered or things that you want cleared up, just let me know. Please leave me a review and I'll do my best to get back to you. If there's any questions you might have, feel free to PM me, I'm always up for a chat!_**


	7. Chapter 7

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 _ **Chapter 7** **:**_

The sun had completely set by the time Jordan had made his way back to the station after stopping by Ryan's house and then his own apartment. He had made it home in time to nab a quick shower but he figured that he had best be getting back to the station to handle the armoured truck situation before time got away from him. He had Ryan's brown paper bagged lunch resting in the passenger seat of his cruiser but that would have to wait, he didn't want to have to drop off her food and take off, no, Jordan wasn't going to waste his opportunity. If he had anything to say about it, maybe he'd even get to stay and eat along with her.

For now though, he had bigger things to worry about. Getting an armoured truck loaded with evidence and on its way to federal lockup definitely trumped delivering food to a nurse at the hospital, even if the nurse in question had his heart beating faster at the mere thought of seeing her. Jordan couldn't deny it anymore; he was seriously crushing on Ryan Sloane.

Jordan wasn't deterred by the situation though; he had the rest of his night all planned out. He'd send the truck off once it was loaded up, then he'd linger around inside and finish up his work there before finally getting his chance to head on over to the hospital to pay a visit to the lovely blonde nurse named Ryan Sloane.

Wandering through the front room of the station, he nodded his hellos to his fellow deputies and made his way to the back room where the evidence was being kept. He stepped up to the shelf where the Katashi evidence was located and took a mental inventory, yes, each box was here, now he just had to hope that it all made it to federal lockup in one piece.

Jordan was aware of how important the information contained within the boxes was but he wasn't going to back down simply because the Yakuza mafia was attached to some, if not all, of the items in the boxes. He had heard how intense the Yakuza were but nothing was going to get in his way. The sooner he could get the evidence loaded up in the back of the truck, the quicker he could make his way over to the hospital where he hoped that Ryan would be happy to see him.

"Parrish!"

Jordan turned to the doorway at the sound of his name being called and he smiled at the approaching deputy, the same deputy who he had spoken too earlier in the day about the sheriff being gone.

"Yeah?" Jordan shot back and glanced back at the Katashi evidence boxes. The deputy stepped into the room and made an attempt to grab hold of one of the boxes. Jordan set his hand on it and forced it to remain in its place, the deputy letting out a small groan.

"I just came to let you know that your truck's here." The deputy stated and made another move to take hold of the box. Jordan hesitated for a few seconds but reluctantly let go, letting the deputy haul the box off the shelf and turn back towards the doorway. "You want to grab the other one?"

Jordan didn't even bother acknowledging his question with words, instead, he took hold of the end of the second box, pulled it away from the wall at the back of the room and took hold of the other end before following the same path the deputy had taken. He had to admit that with help, the job would go a lot quicker and it would save him a trip back into the station.

The station was buzzing with phone calls and chatter between the staff, yet Jordan's sole focus was on the back door, which would open up right into a back alley where the armoured truck was supposed to be waiting for him.

When he stepped outside, the truck was precisely where it was supposed to be, the driver sitting securely in the cab with the back doors wide open. Jordan's fellow deputy was already inside the truck, making sure his box of evidence was securely nestled in with the rest of the items in the cargo hold. Stepping around to the end of the truck, Jordan promptly handed the deputy his box.

"You want to run back inside and make sure we got it all Parrish?" The deputy in the truck questioned and Jordan nodded his head in understanding. He paused for a few seconds and watched the deputy disappear further into the truck, where he'd place the second box near its counterpart.

"I'll be right back." Jordan said firmly and took off back around the side of the truck and hauled the back door to the station open.

Stepping back into the station and out of the alley, Jordan took a look around and made sure that there weren't any loose pieces of evidence lying around, which was highly unlikely but all too possible. When he was satisfied that there weren't any random evidence baggies scattered on anyone's desk, he headed for the evidence storage room.

There were two giant, empty spaces on the shelf where the two boxes had resided before being loaded onto the truck but Jordan wasn't concerned. He knew that soon enough, more boxes would need a space on the shelf and more evidence would appear. There were too many investigations, both solved and unsolved, going on in Beacon Hills for the evidence storage room to ever look too empty.

Scanning the shelves, Jordan silently read out the case names on the ends of the box, looking for any more that said Katashi or Yakuza. After spending a few minutes looking around, he felt confident in saying that they had it all loaded up on the truck.

Without another second of hesitation, Jordan took off in a brisk walk and pushed the alleyway door open, stepping out and heading for the side of the armoured truck, ready to give the driver the go ahead.

As soon as he got to the side of the truck though, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up and his skin brandished goosebumps. Something definitely wasn't right.

No matter, he continued on and pushed the uneasy feeling to the back of his mind. The sooner he could get the truck in motion, the sooner that he'd be able to set his sights on Ryan.

"Okay, let's get out of here!" Jordan announced and stepped up onto the side of the truck, pulling the passenger side door open and peering into the cab.

His hand flew to the holstered gun on his belt and within seconds he had the weapon drawn. There was no way that the driver could be hurt, or possibly even dead, not in the few minutes that he had been inside the building, yet the man who was supposed to drive the truck away was splayed out over the steering wheel, blood dripping off his skin.

Jordan felt a shiver run down his spine and before he knew it, he was heading down the side of the truck, wondering if the same thing that happened to the driver had also happened to his fellow deputy.

He slunk along the side of the truck, his gun poised and ready in front of him, as he made his way towards the back end of the armoured vehicle. Sucking in a nervous breath, he rounded the corner and peered at the end of the truck, the doors to the back were shut and ready to go. Parrish concluded that if the doors were closed, and the driver was out, well that had to mean that he wasn't going to find his deputy inside, unless of course something had happened, something bad.

He debated calling out but there was something not right about the whole situation. If the driver had been taken out of the equation, that had to mean that someone was after whatever was in the truck and maybe Jordan was wrong after all, maybe his deputy was inside the truck, bleeding, injured, maybe even dead.

Jordan spun around and faced away from the back of the truck, peering out into the alley, his gun still poised and ready to fire, as he looked for any signs of life, any lingering threats on the vehicle behind him. If someone wanted to get into the truck, well they'd have to go through Deputy Jordan Parrish, who rarely went down without a fight.

His heart pounded so loudly he could barely hear anything, and yes he was a little scared, but who wouldn't be. He was currently standing in the back alley by himself, trying to figure out what the hell had happened to not only the driver of the truck but to his fellow deputy as well, who Jordan still didn't know the whereabouts of.

By the time he heard the crashing sound coming from behind him, it was too late. All he managed to do was spin around, peer into the back of the truck and get a half decent look at the large, tough looking man who had been hidden inside.

The man hopped out of the truck, set his large palm on the back of Jordan's head and thrust his entire body forward. The impact of his head meeting the steel floor of the cargo hold was enough to send Jordan's world spinning. His gun flew out of his hand and before his body even collapsed to the ground, he had lost consciousness.

His last, lingering thought had been of Ryan and the idea that maybe she wouldn't be getting her lunch that night after all.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Ryan could feel her stomach growling but there was nothing she could do about it. Ken and Kylie weren't safe heading out at night anymore and no matter how hungry Ryan got, she wasn't going to put her family in danger, especially when they were all the family she had left.

The idea of heading down to the cafeteria had crossed her mind but she wasn't a big fan of leaving the floor, especially when things were still bustling. All it would take is for one person to come in with severe injuries and nearly the entire staff on the floor would be occupied. No, Ryan wasn't about to leave, plus the cafeteria wasn't very cheap and she wasn't about to spend money on food that barely had any flavour.

She was aware of the vending machines in the nearby hallway but they were often stuffed with junk food, or food that wasn't very tasty either. It was only the middle of her shift and she was starting to get desperate. If she was going to make it to the end of her shift, she was going to have to eat something, even if it didn't seem very appetizing.

Ryan stepped around the desk and took a seat in the vacant chair. Melissa McCall was sitting nearby and the older woman flashed Ryan a small smile, knowing how difficult it was on the girl to not be able to see her baby girl like she had while working most of her shifts, at least that was the way it worked ever since Cole had passed away.

"What's got you looking so glum chum?" Melissa questioned and turned a plastic bag full of carrot sticks and celery towards Ryan, silently offering her a vegetable stick.

"I forgot my lunch." Ryan muttered and dropped her forehead against the desk, a small thud sounding out from the impact.

"Are you sure it doesn't have something to do with the fact that you're adorable little delivery girl is on temporary leave?" Melissa teased and Ryan turned her head sideways, her ear pressing against the surface of the desk as she glared at the older woman. "Oh, maybe the better term is that she's been laid off."

"While I do miss seeing Kylie, that's not what's really bugging me. My dad made me a lunch, he put it in the fridge and then specifically told me that it was there and that I shouldn't forget it. Naturally, like most young females, I failed to listen to my father and here I am, sad, tired and hungry." Ryan explained and let out a loud groan as she moved her head away from the desk. She slumped back in her chair and tipped her head back, staring up at the ceiling as she continued to contemplate what to do about her lack of food.

"You can have as many carrot sticks as you want." Melissa smiled and Ryan shook her head no before tipping her head back down and looking right at the older nurse. "Why not?"

"I can't take your food, that's just uncool." Ryan pointed out, her eyes never leaving Melissa as the brunette reached into the plastic bag, grabbed hold of a carrot stick and handed it to Ryan. Ryan shook her head no one more time but Melissa shoved it at her, poking Ryan's hand with the end of the carrot stick. "Stop it, I don't need your pity food."

"Pity food, Ryan, just take it, it's one carrot stick." Melissa chuckled at Ryan's resistance.

"Well…"

"If you don't take it, I will feed it to you." Melissa threatened and Ryan broke out into a small smile. She leaned forward, opened her mouth and waited as Melissa prodded the end of the carrot into Ryan's mouth, the vegetable barely making contact with her tongue before Ryan bit down and took a bite off the end. "Here, take the rest of the carrot stick and feel free to help yourself to more."

Melissa stood up and stretched her arms into the air, glancing around at the floor. So far there had barely been any patients coming in but that didn't mean anything. It was an emergency department, things could change in the blink of an eye and she was always alert, always prepared for anything.

As she twisted her body and faced the main entrance, she made a mental note that there was a deputy cruiser parked outside with its lights flashing. Melissa motioned for Ryan to stand up and within seconds, Ryan was right by her side, watching as one deputy rushed into the emergency department with another deputy, this one Ryan recognized as Jordan Parrish. Jordan was clinging to the other deputy and it didn't take too much time for Ryan to realize that he was bleeding from a cut on his forehead, right where his hairline was.

She rushed around the desk and headed for the two deputies before resting a hand on Jordan's chest. The deputy she didn't recognize helped get Jordan wrapped around her, his arm now clinging to her shoulders, as she led him down the hallway and into one of the emergency rooms.

Melissa jogged into the room behind Ryan and helped her sit him on the end of a bed before gently lowering Jordan down so that he was laying there, his head resting in the pillows. The deputy that had brought him in poked his head into the room before stepping through the door and closing the distance between him and the two nurses.

"What happened to him?" Ryan asked and Melissa went right to work, pulling her stethoscope away from around her neck and preparing herself to check his heartbeat. Ryan turned her attention to the deputy and waited as patiently as she could for his answer.

"Well we're not entirely sure exactly what happened but we're pretty sure that he took a blow to the head. When I found him, he was pretty much out cold."

"What kind of blow to the head? How long do you think he was out for?" Ryan glanced down at Jordan before bringing her attention back to the unfamiliar deputy.

"I suspect that someone forced his head down against the metal floor of an armoured truck. Like I said, he was out cold when I found him but if I had to guess how long he was out, maybe twenty minutes, half hour at most."

Ryan nodded her understanding and stepped closer to the deputy, setting her hand around his bicep gently and leading him away from the bed. When the two of them were out in the hallway, Ryan let go of the man's arm and looked up into the concerned face of the man who had helped Jordan Parrish into the hospital.

"He's in good hands now Deputy-"

"Haigh."

"Right, Deputy Haigh. Anyways, we've got him now, we'll get him back to new as soon as possible. If you want to wait, you can take a seat down the hall."

"Yeah, yeah I'll wait."

Ryan bowed her head and watched for a few seconds as Deputy Haigh hesitantly stepped away from her. When he was about five steps away from her, she turned her attention back into the room and rushed towards Jordan, who was talking to Melissa about what he could remember happening.

"Is he okay?" Ryan asked and took up a stance on the other side of the bed, letting Melissa have her side to herself.

"He will be, we just need to get this abrasion cleaned up and then run a few simple tests, then he should be as good as new." Melissa answered with a smile. "They make these young deputies tough these days."

Ryan smiled at her female counterpart and watched as Melissa wandered away from the bed. She headed towards the side of the room and started digging around in the cupboards, gathering the supplies necessary to clean up the cut on the young man's forehead. Ryan made a move to leave the room but Jordan's hand shot out and his fingers wrapped around her wrist.

She hesitated at his touch and leaned down the tiniest bit closer to him so that he wouldn't have to speak very loudly.

"I brought you," Jordan paused and sucked in a breath before forcing a pained smile in her direction, "there's a bag in my cruiser with your name on it."

"A bag?" Ryan scrunched her nose up in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"With your lunch in it." Jordan answered and made an attempt to sit up. Ryan moved her wrist out of his grasp and slipped her arm around his back, helping him to get into a sitting position without causing him any pain or dizziness from his head wound.

When he was propped up into a half decent sitting position, Ryan gently dropped down and sat on the edge of the bed, brushing his hair away from the bleeding cut. Jordan winced at her touch but didn't protest any further, so Ryan repeated the process, pushing his hair away from the injured area over and over again. She watched as he visibly relaxed and shut his eyes, the smile growing on his lips.

"My lunch? Okay there, maybe you hit your head harder than-"

"Nope." Jordan cut her off and reached out for her, taking her hand in his as she continued to run her other hand through his hair. "I called your dad, he gave it to me to drop off for you."

Ryan gave his hand a gentle squeeze and he tugged on her arm in response, "I think you've gone a little delusional from the blow to the head."

"I swear, your lunch is in my car." Jordan countered and before Ryan could argue with him anymore, Melissa reappeared at the bedside with a handful of medical supplies. She grabbed a small table on wheels and laid out the supplies she had gathered from the cupboard before spinning the surface so that it was over Jordan's legs.

"You got this one?" Melissa asked and offered Ryan a pair of latex gloves, which she took with a nod of her head. "I'm going to head back out then and keep an eye on things."

"Could you do me a favour nurse?" Jordan piped up and Melissa looked at him with a soothing smile. "Could you ask my partner out there to grab the bag from the cruiser and bring it in?"

"Sure thing." Melissa nodded and gave Ryan a reassuring wave before wandering out of the room, leaving the two of them alone together.

Ryan let go of him and moved her hands down, slipping her fingers into the gloves. She leaned over his legs and grabbed some of the packages of supplies that Melissa had gathered for her, ripping open one of the antiseptic wipes.

"This is probably going to sting a bit." Ryan murmured and scrunched the wipe up in her hand before gently pressing the cold wipe against his wound. He jerked in response and let out a slight hiss, causing Ryan to chuckle at him. "Kylie's better at this than you."

Jordan stared at her, waiting for her to look at him. When she did, he smiled at her and proceeded to remain absolutely still and completely silent as Ryan continued to wipe off the blood that had dried up on his forehead. Once the blood was nearly all wiped away, Ryan leaned in closer to him and studied the abrasion.

It wasn't nearly as bad as she had initially figured, in fact, with one look she knew that he wasn't going to need stitches, hell, he probably didn't even need a Band-Aid. What she was more worried about now though was the idea of him having some sort of internal injury. She took concussions very seriously and Ryan gave a gentle poke of his forehead with her index fingers, feeling the tender, swollen flesh around the cut.

When loud footsteps echoed just outside the hallway, Ryan paused in her treating of his wound and watched as Deputy Haigh made his way into the room. She rolled her eyes at the sight of him carrying a brown paper bag with Kylie's all too familiar scrawl on it. The deputy closed in on them and set the bag on the table with the rest of the medical supplies before tossing a smile in Jordan's direction and disappearing back out into the waiting area.

"See, I told you." Jordan grinned at Ryan now and Ryan just nodded her head in response. "I'm not delusional and my head's fine."

"Well I think maybe we should send you for some tests, just to make sure."

"Can't you just give me a couple of aspirin and make me call you in the morning?" Jordan asked, his eyes wide and captivating.

Ryan reached out towards the table and nabbed one of the packets containing steri-strips. She ripped the end off and started pulling the outside packaging off. Jordan stared at her as she placed two strips, side by side, on the cut on his forehead before running her hand through his hair one more time.

"You are really something, you know that, right?" Ryan asked, her voice low and bordering on sultry. Jordan gave her a half-hearted shrug and settled into the pillows. "You didn't have to bring me my lunch."

"It's not a problem."

"If I had known you'd be bleeding when you delivered-"

"Whatever you're going to say, just don't. I'm fine and now you won't go hungry. It's a win-win situation."

She gave him a sideways look, "win-win? You're potentially concussed, how is this a win-win situation?"

"I got to see you now didn't I?" He replied cheekily and she let out a scoff at his words.

"Here's the deal, I'm going to take my lunch to the desk, make a few calls and see if we can't get you in for a few simple tests tonight. If we can't, then I'll try to get you in sometime tomorrow. I know you think you're fine but sometimes it takes a little bit before symptoms start to show up."

"If that's what needs to be done, then who am I to argue. I just have one suggestion."

"And what's that?" Ryan cocked her head to the side.

"Eat your lunch here, with me?"

Ryan dropped her gaze down to the bed and Jordan quickly grabbed hold of her gloved hand. She brought her eyes back up to meet his and Jordan couldn't help but smile at her.

"Let me just go tell your partner that you'll live, then I'll be right back, okay?"

Jordan gave her one quick nod of his head, let go of her hand and watched as Ryan stood up, moving away from the bed. She peeled off her latex gloves, set them on the table and gave a gentle push, forcing the table away from the bed slightly. Jordan's eyes never left her as she headed for the door, pausing just inside and looking back at him.

"I'm not going anywhere." Jordan said softly.

Ryan gave him a sad smile and disappeared into the hallway. She knew that his words meant so much more, he wasn't going anywhere and she knew that soon enough, she'd have to accept that.

Maybe she'd give him a chance after all.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

 ** _Okay, you guys definitely made me feel better but please let me know what you're feeling with these chapters. Did you love them, did you hate them, stuff like that. Thank you so much to those that reviewed._**

 ** _Ryan's just the luckiest girl eh, getting a pretty young deputy to deliver her lunch. Do you think he went too far or was it a sweet gesture?_**

 ** _winchesterxgirl: Aw, your words are too kind and much appreciated, thank you so much! Ken just wants his daughter to be happy and what better way for that to happen than with a very handsome young man, right? Thank you kindly for the review!_**

 ** _Julie: The best mom ever, yowza, well, she's trying to be. Thank you, I want to make things believable and the details, at least I feel, help that. Thank you so much for the reviews!_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: I think there's a lot of people out there that wouldn't mind if Jordan Parrish brought them lunch lol! Thank you so much and I hope that their little family unit continues to entertain you!_**

 ** _XxXLIFEafterDEATHXxX: Well here's more, what did you think? Thank you for the review!_**

 ** _Guest: Oh gosh, here I was worried that the pace was sort of slow, well, I guess it is, but intentionally so. You're spot on, she's not just going to jump into a relationship, especially considering her circumstances and thank you for pointing that out. I appreciate the review so much and I hope you continue to read and enjoy!_**

 ** _If there's anything you guys want to say about anything, maybe you have questions that you want answered or things that you want cleared up, just let me know. Please leave me a review and I'll do my best to get back to you. If there's any questions you might have, feel free to PM me, I'm always up for a chat!_**


	8. Chapter 8

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 _ **Chapter 8** **:**_

It had been quite a bit longer than Jordan had been expecting but nonetheless, Ryan had reappeared in his room with a smile on her face as she closed in on him. She had been gone so long that he had been debating getting out of the hospital bed and heading out into the hall in search of her but he had been patient. She had left her lunch in his room, which meant that she'd eventually come back, and Jordan had seized his opportunity while she was gone to shut his eyes and try to relax.

He could easily remember walking out into the alleyway and he could clearly see the driver of the armoured truck slumped over the steering wheel. Jordan recalled the point when he drew his weapon and then snuck around to the end of the truck. He had looked for Haigh, who had been inside the armoured truck when Jordan headed into the building but when he came out, there was no one in the alleyway except for himself and the driver, who Jordan still didn't know was alive or not.

Everything after that was a blur though: the doors to the truck opening, some strange man jumping out and knocking him out cold. No matter how hard Jordan tried to remember what the guy had looked like, there was nothing coming to mind. Maybe he had hit his head harder than he first believed, either that or the man had been so quick that Jordan hadn't had much time to get a good look at the man either way.

Now that he thought about it, maybe it wasn't even a man at all. He had assumed the person in the truck had been male but, like Jordan was starting to think, maybe he had been knocked out before he could even see if his attacker was a girl or boy.

By the time Haigh had come back out into the alleyway, whoever had knocked Jordan out was long gone.

Jordan opened his eyes and looked at the door, two voices were easily heard just outside, one male and one female. The female voice he immediately recognized as Ryan and the male voice sounded a lot like Deputy Haigh, who had been the one to bring Jordan into the hospital, insisting that head injuries were a serious thing.

"Is he going to be okay?" Haigh had asked and Jordan couldn't help but smile. Yes, this was definitely nice. Not only did he get to see Ryan while she was at work but his fellow deputy, who he had known for just a short period of time, was already concerned about him. That was certainly a nice feeling.

"He should be fine. He's going to be sent for a CT Scan in about an hour just to make sure that there's nothing fishy going on but I think he'll be out of here before the sun comes up." Ryan answered smoothly. Jordan continued to wait patiently for her to come back into the room and he just hoped that Haigh would accept her answer and move on, maybe even head back to the station for the rest of his shift.

"Right and uh-"

"If anything happens to him, I can call you but if you're planning on waiting around for him, you're going to get awfully bored." Ryan cut him off with a laugh. "He's in good hands Deputy Haigh."

"Your good hands?" Haigh countered and Jordan listened for Ryan's reply. Seconds passed and still the woman didn't say anything. Sensing that Ryan needed some sort of escape route, Jordan started to cough wickedly and continued to do so until Ryan rushed into the room, Haigh trailing along behind her.

She closed in on him and helped sit him up straighter before Jordan slowly but surely stopped his fake coughing.

"I'm good, I'm fine, just choked on some water." Jordan lied and looked from Ryan to Haigh, both of them looking right back at him with concerned expressions. He forced a smile at the two of them and waved his hands in the air. "Haigh, if you want, you can head back to the station, I'll be fine."

"So I've been told." Haigh replied with a slight smirk and looked over at Ryan. "You'll be in nurse Sloane's good hands here."

Ryan rolled her eyes at his statement and gently lowered Jordan back down so that he was relaxed in the pillows like he had been when she left him. With one last calculating look over Ryan's body, Haigh lifted his hand up and gave Jordan a wave. Seconds later, Haigh was no longer within Jordan's line of sight and Ryan was wandering around the end of his bed, readjusting the placement of the table.

She remained silent as she gathered up the unused medical equipment that Melissa had pulled out of the cupboards but the most she did to clear it away was to put it on the nearby counter, where she'd either put it back or put it in the little basket that they used for miscellaneous items that were a little harder to put back in their rightful place.

"Did you need anything?" Ryan asked as she sauntered back towards Jordan. He shook his head no and brought his one hand up, gently ghosting his fingers over the wound on his head. Ryan stepped up beside the bed and brushed his hair back yet again, a smile erupting on Jordan's face at the feeling.

"You know Haigh was giving you the once over, don't you?" Jordan asked in a teasing tone and Ryan let out a low groan.

"Was he?"

"He certainly was." Jordan chuckled. Ryan rolled down the top of the brown paper bag and pulled out a plastic bag containing a decent looking sandwich. She set the bag on the table and then proceeded to set the sandwich, which was cut diagonally into two halves, on top of the plastic.

"He's had a thing for me ever since Cole started working there." Ryan confessed with a sigh.

"Can you blame him?" Jordan replied with a cheeky smile.

"I don't know." She shrugged sadly in response. "I do know that Cole was constantly telling him to stop gawking at me, that I was taken and if he ever caught him looking at me like a piece of meat again that Cole would clock him one. Apparently threats aren't as intense when the person who lays them out for you is gone."

Jordan remained quiet and absorbed this information. He looked into Ryan's eyes and made a mental note that they were slowly filling up with tears. Well then, it didn't take an idiot to figure it out; talking about Cole was upsetting to her and in order to keep Ryan from letting the tears flow freely, Jordan was just going to have to keep the conversation light.

" _I_ could threaten him if it would make you feel better." Jordan offered and Ryan grabbed half of the sandwich in one hand while giving the side of his leg a little swat, signaling that she wanted him to scoot over.

Jordan moved over on the bed a few inches and Ryan sat down next to him, shifting up on the bed so that when she relaxed, she was in the pillow right next to him. He tensed slightly as she brought her knees up and tucked them against his thighs.

"I can handle myself." Ryan stated with a sigh. "But if you feel the need to assert your dominance over him, then who am I to stop you?"

"Does he bother you often?" Jordan asked, genuinely interested in the attempted flirting on Haigh's behalf.

"Well he bothers me any time that he sees me but he doesn't see me that often." Ryan answered and took a bite of the sandwich. Jordan looked down at her and stole a glance of the part of sandwich that she had bitten. Whatever was on the fluffy white bread looked amazing. "Want a bite?"

Jordan hadn't realized that she had been looking at him, watching him intently as he gazed longingly at her lunch. She lifted it up closer to his face and widened her eyes, asking him if he wanted a bite without actually saying a single word.

"What is it?"

"Turkey with mayo, topped with lettuce and tomato." Ryan answered and once again moved it closer to his face. Jordan hesitated but leaned in, ridding himself of all the distance between him and the sandwich, and sunk his teeth into the bread, ripping through the turkey and chewing loudly as he relaxed back into the bed. "My dad makes the best sandwiches."

Jordan nodded his agreement and finished chewing before leaning in again. Ryan let out a laugh and pushed the sandwich closer to him, letting him take another bite before following it up with another bite of her own.

"Really good." Jordan grinned once he had finished chewing and swallowing the second bite he had taken.

"He had to learn real quick how to take care of me." Ryan said with a smile. "My mom died when I was really little."

"Oh, I'm uh, I'm sorry to hear that." Jordan remarked and lifted his arm up, bringing it around her shoulders and drawing her closer to him in an attempt to comfort her.

"I never knew her, I mean she was gone for as far back as I can remember." Ryan said softly and reached out, setting the sandwich back on the bag with the other half. She then dug into the bag and wrapped her fingers around a small container containing yogurt with a spoon taped to the lid. Jordan watched as she effortlessly popped the top off, peeled the spoon off the lid and dipped it into the yogurt. "My dad was on his own since I was a baby."

"Well even if you can't remember her, it's still awful. No one should have to grow up with just one parent." Jordan had the words out of his mouth before he even realized what he had said. Ryan went rigid next to him and he gripped her that little bit tighter, sensing that she was uncomfortable now. "I didn't mean…I'm sorry you lost Cole."

She nodded her head, fearing that if she spoke, her voice would give away how utterly devastated she was at the idea of Kylie growing up without a father. It only served as a horrible reminder that Ryan had been raised without one of her parents and now Kylie would share in that experience. The only bright side was that at least Kylie would have her mother, someone that Ryan never had.

"She's got me and my dad, which is more than I ever had." Ryan murmured and lifted the spoon up before licking the end of it clean and dropping it back into the container. "She asked me, on the day of Cole's funeral, if her daddy was safe now, and I told her that he was."

"Sounds like the right thing to say to me." Jordan smiled at her and tried to draw her out of the memories that she was no doubt being sucked back into. "If you ever want to talk about what happened, or anything at all, you know you can call me."

"I don't like to bother people, especially people who are busy being deputies." Ryan replied with a solemn expression. "Well that's not entirely true, if I could figure out a way to bother Haigh, then maybe I'd enjoy it."

Jordan stole a look at her face and couldn't help but feel a little bit better at the tiny little smile on her lips. He could work with that, he could take what she said and continue on with it in order to keep the conversation between them happy and light.

"What if you unleashed your dad on him?" Jordan offered and gave her shoulder a nudge with his knuckle. Ryan spooned another mouthful of yogurt into her mouth and made a face at Jordan that clearly meant 'I've never considered' it. When she swallowed, she broke out into a grin and could no longer contain the laughter at whatever she was thinking about.

"I wish I thought of that earlier." Ryan continued to laugh and Jordan extended his free hand towards the half-eaten half of her sandwich, grabbing hold of it and lifting it up to his mouth. "My dad's pretty intimidating, isn't he?"

Jordan paused and lowered the sandwich just a little bit, "I think he could be pretty scary if you were on the wrong end of a bad mood."

Ryan shook her head in amusement but Jordan chomped down on the sandwich, "If he finds out that you ate half my lunch that he made especially for me, he might find himself in a bad mood."

"What?" Jordan nearly chocked on his mouthful but Ryan merely broke out into a fit of laughter.

"I'm just joking. You seem like a nice guy and I think I can keep your secret for you this time." She grinned at him and took another spoonful of yogurt into her mouth. "Just don't make a habit out of eating my lunches."

"That would also involve making it a habit of showing up at the hospital injured and trust me, that's not something I will be making a habit _of_."

"Not true though, you were planning on dropping by with or without being injured." Ryan pointed out, dipped her spoon back into the yogurt and then proceeded to lick it off. "The real question is: were you planning to stay and help me eat it if you weren't potentially concussed?"

"I'm going to have to go with probably not." Jordan said with a sigh. "I don't know about you but this town keeps me pretty busy."

"Yeah, no kidding." She scoffed, clearly sympathizing with him. "I still don't know why you came here."

"For a job." Jordan answered her with a smile. "Plus I felt drawn here, don't you ever just feel like you're exactly where you're supposed to be."

Ryan licked off her yogurt covered spoon again and set the container on the table. The spoon followed and resided next to the container before she dropped her head gingerly against his shoulder. Jordan made quick work of cramming the last bite of his half of her sandwich into his mouth, chewing while he waited for her answer.

"I don't know. More often than not I think I get the feeling that I should be somewhere else."

Jordan didn't respond right away, instead, he finished chewing the mouthful of sandwich and made a move to grab the other, untouched, half. Ryan quickly swatted his hand away and let out a soft sigh as she relaxed against his side.

"Does that have something to do with Kylie?" Jordan inquired and relaxed against her too.

"Maybe." Ryan mumbled.

"Well why?"

"I just don't know that living in the same town that Cole died in is a good thing for Kylie. She's not really going to remember him but everyone else who knows us will and they'll always look at her as the little girl who lost her father."

"That may be true but this is your home, isn't it?" Jordan countered. "Didn't you grow up here?"

"I did. I left for college but I came back."

"So then if you didn't live in Beacon Hills, where would you go?" Jordan pressed, trying to get to the bottom of this, maybe if he gave Ryan the opportunity to talk about it and hear what she was thinking out loud, then maybe he could give her an opportunity to think about what she was saying.

"Honestly, I don't know." Ryan said softly, almost embarrassed by her lack of answer.

"So then, isn't it safe to say that maybe you and Kylie really do belong here?"

Ryan sucked in a breath and let it out, hoping that Jordan was right. She had never really thought too much about leaving Beacon Hills specifically but the idea that she could change the scenery that she looked at sounded better in her head. Beacon Hills was her home, it had always been her home and everyone that she cared about lived in the small town. Her own father was right there and he had lived in Beacon Hills for most of his life. Her mother had been from the town and so had Cole and his family. Yes, everything she had ever really known was thanks to her growing up in the very town that she was currently living in.

"So maybe Kylie and I really _do_ belong here, that doesn't make it any better for you to show up and _want_ to live here. You _have_ heard about all the weird things that have happened, haven't you?"

"Do you mean all the strange animal attacks?"

"Well yeah, and the massacre…the massacre at the…" Ryan bit down on her lip and fought off the urge to cry. She had never even started to get that night out of her mind. The pain of losing Cole, the horror of Kylie losing her father, it still felt as though it had happened yesterday. Her heart shattered into a million pieces at the thought of how quickly she had lost Cole.

"Maybe we can leave the heavy stuff for another time?" Jordan piped up with a cheery smile. "Start with something a little less devastating?"

"Like what?" Ryan looked into his eyes at the same time that she lifted her own hand up and swiped at her eyes, ridding herself of the desire to cry. She then took hold of her remaining half of her sandwich and quickly took a bite, occupying herself while Jordan thought of what he wanted to say next.

"Favourite colour, movie, band, song, book, why don't we start with things like that?" Jordan suggested and Ryan swallowed the first bite before taking another and pointing her finger in his direction. "Oh, me first? Well my favourite colour, orange."

"Mine's purple." Ryan answered, her mouth half full of chewed sandwich.

"What's Kylie's?"

"Currently red, we can thank my dad for that." Ryan finished chewing and held the sandwich up to him. Jordan shook his head politely and she quickly put it on the table. "What was next?"

"Uh, movie I think."

"My favourite movie, well, Matt Damon is my favourite actor so basically anything with him in it but my favourite Damon movie, well movies I guess, is actually the whole Bourne series. What about you?"

"Wow, a Matt Damon girl. My favourite movie would have to be Die Hard." Jordan smiled.

"Oh I see, you're a Bruce Willis man then?"

"Sure am." Jordan beamed at her and she couldn't help but smile right back at him.

"Kylie's on a Frozen kick. Don't get me wrong, it's a good movie and all but it loses its appeal after the twentieth time you watch it. See, back in my day, we had Disney movies like The Lion King and Pocahontas, now it's all Frozen this and Tangled that. I cannot wait until she's old enough to watch the types of movies I'd prefer." Ryan explained, finishing up her little rant with a chuckle. "Actually if she stayed a kid forever, that wouldn't be so bad."

"She seems like a good kid." Jordan remarked and finally took a bite of Ryan's sandwich, the blonde nurse next to him taking a bite of her own. They chewed together but Ryan swallowed first, since she had taken a smaller bite.

"She's not so bad. She has he good days and her bad days and then some really, really bad days but she's three. I can't really get too mad at her either, I can't imagine she's got it any easier without Cole than I do." Ryan said. "She'll grow up and gradually forget how much it hurt though."

"I really am sorry you have to go through this." Jordan whispered and gently set his chin against the top of her head. She let out a sigh and set the sandwich down on the table before curling up against his side.

"She makes it easy not to just give up." Ryan murmured. "She needs me, and I need her just as much."

"Did you guys plan for her?" Jordan asked in low tone, hoping that he wasn't pressing his luck. Ryan let out a breath of air and shook her head no. "So she was a surprise?"

"Yup. My last year of Nursing School and Cole's last year of his law enforcement program I found out I was pregnant."

"Was it hard?"

"Not as hard as a lot of people. He basically had a job with the sheriff and I had enough connections here at the hospital that neither of us had to go unemployed but it was still tough." Ryan ran her hand over his forearm and took hold of his hand, Jordan immediately intertwining his fingers with hers. "Cole was always better with her than I was but I was on nights as soon as I could go back to work. He spent so much more time with her."

"What was her first word?"

Ryan swallowed the lump that had been forming in her throat since they had started talking about Kylie. At the time that Kylie had said her first word, Ryan had been so excited but now she dreaded that question because the answer just broke her heart.

"Um, her first word was daddy." Ryan felt his grip on her hand tightening ever so slightly. She squeezed right back and stretched her legs out before throwing them over the side of the bed. "Wow, huh, look at the time. We should probably get you ready for your CT Scan and I should go make sure that there isn't a whole slew of people waiting for emergency medical treatment."

Jordan simply nodded his understanding and let go of her hand, watching carefully as she tucked the remnants of her sandwich into the plastic bag and sealed it shut. Next she put the lid on the yogurt and put it into the brown paper bag, the spoon and sandwich going in on top. Ryan paused and looked at her name messily scrawled across the top of the bag.

"Maybe next time I can bring you something from somewhere?" Jordan asked and scooted his body back into the middle of the bed, Ryan making her way to her feet.

"From somewhere?" She echoed his words in sheer confusion. That was vague and she clearly didn't know what exactly he meant.

"Yeah, I don't know all the restaurants in Beacon Hills that do takeout but if you tell me what your favourite place is, I can-"

"You don't have to bring me any more food." She cut him off with a shake of her head, an amused smirk on her lips. "I'll remember to bring my packed lunch from here on out okay, so you don't have to worry."

"It'd be my pleasure though." Jordan argued but Ryan lifted her hand up, facing her palm towards him. She grabbed hold of the brown paper bag with her other hand and met his gaze.

"I'm off for the night in a few days because my dad's heading out of town for a couple nights, if you don't mind sharing my attention with Kylie, we could go out for dinner." Ryan offered up instead. Jordan stared at her for a few seconds before nodding his head yes.

"I think that sounds like a great idea." Jordan smiled at her and she smiled right back.

Nodding down at her bagged lunch, Ryan lifted it up, off the table and threw him another smile before heading for the door. Jordan's eyes were on her the entire time she walked and when she paused in the doorframe to turn back and glance at him, he gave her a reassuring nod.

Ryan carried on down the hall and stepped around the desk, flopping into the chair next to Melissa McCall. The older nurse let out a laugh at the blissful look on Ryan's face before taking the bag out of Ryan's hold and tucking it under the shelf on the desk.

"What's got you so starry eyed?" Melissa asked with a giant smile.

"Nothing." Ryan countered back breezily.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you and Deputy Parrish hit it off real well. Don't worry, I think you two look cute together."

Ryan tilted her head forward, glanced down the hall towards the room Jordan was residing in and let out a contented sigh. She let the weight of what she had done sink in and suddenly her entire body filled with dread.

"Oh shit." Ryan muttered and straightened up in the chair. "No, no, no, god dammit."

"Ryan, calm down, I'm sure whatever-"

"I think I just asked him out on a date." Ryan grumbled and dropped her head down, connecting her forehead with the edge of the desk.

"This is a good thing." Melissa gently set her hand on Ryan's shoulder. "You deserve something good."

Ryan didn't bother looking anywhere but at the floor. Maybe a date wasn't the worst thing in the world but the more she thought about it, the more her heart hurt.

Was she ready to try to move on from Cole? Was Kylie ready?

All Ryan could do now was wait until her dinner date with Jordan Parrish.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

 ** _Thank you so much to those that reviewed, I love hearing from you guys so please keep it up! Also, does anyone have any thoughts on the new season, I'm curious to know what you guys think and if there's anything you might want to see happen with Ryan, or Ryan and Jordan together, I'd love to hear your ideas._**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Such a creeper right! Poor Ryan, he'll definitely be back around later. Melissa and Ryan, yes, you're spot on with their relationship. They're friends but then Melissa is also one of Ryan's only female role models and I hope that you continue to enjoy the two of them together!_**

 ** _Guest: Realistic is what I was going for lol, thank you. I hope that you enjoyed this latest chapter, a little 'getting to know one another' installment._**

 ** _avr1432: Parrish will definitely be on the dead pool list, this story will follow the show fairly closely with a few minor changes. This new season is...different...I'm not sure I'm feeling it yet but there are definitely a lot of people missing that I'd like to see. What about you, what are your thoughts on this season? Thank you for the review!_**

 ** _XxXLIFEafterDEATHXxX: Their relationship development clearly starts with sharing a sandwich while Parrish may or may not be concussed lol. Hope you liked the latest installment and thanks so much for the review!_**

 ** _If there's anything you guys want to say about anything, maybe you have questions that you want answered or things that you want cleared up, just let me know. Please leave me a review and I'll do my best to get back to you. If there's any questions you might have, feel free to PM me, I'm always up for a chat!_**


	9. Chapter 9

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 _ **Chapter 9** **:**_

By the time Ryan had arrived home from her shift, she was exhausted and ready to just lie down and go right to sleep. She knew that it wasn't going to be that easy though, with Kylie being in such a grouch lately, Ryan figured that she'd be lucky if her dad could get her daughter ready and off to the babysitter's without much of a fight.

When she walked into the kitchen, she knew, instantly, that today was going to be a difficult day.

Ken was doing his best to get Kylie to eat the breakfast that he had made her but the little girl seemed more interested in getting ketchup covered scrambled eggs all over her face rather than eating it. Ryan set her purse down on the opposite side of the kitchen table to Kylie and peeled her jacket off, hanging it over the back of the chair before taking a seat next to her messy daughter.

"How was work?" Ken questioned from the counter. Ryan stole another studious look at her daughter, who was strapped into her booster seat with what had been clean clothes now covered in bright red ketchup.

Ryan let out a sigh, "it was definitely interesting."

Before Ryan could really notice what her father was doing, Ken wandered over to the table and placed a second plate of scrambled eggs, with toast on the side, on the surface in front of her. Ryan threw him an appreciative look and before she knew it, he was sitting across from her with a plate of breakfast of his own.

"Did Deputy Parrish make it in?" Ken had a glint in his eye and Ryan could barely contain the smile that was desperately trying to make its way onto her face at the mere mentioning of the deputy.

Oh yes, Jordan had made it to the hospital, and he had ended up sticking around a lot longer than her dad could have ever imagined. Ryan was sure that when he originally intended to drop her lunch off that the young deputy would've taken off shortly after but then again, he had been hurt beforehand and that had definitely changed his plans.

As awful as she felt for thinking that it was a good thing the deputy had been hurt, she was also glad that she had the opportunity to spend the time with him that she did. While they hadn't delved into too much, they had definitely formed a decent foundation for a future friendship, or a potential relationship. But that was a story for a different day, yes, Ryan wasn't going to gush to her very own father about her new crush on the one and only Deputy Jordan Parrish.

"Thanks for getting him to drop my lunch off." Ryan answered with a chuckle.

"I didn't get him to do anything." Ken countered with a laugh of his own and Ryan tilted her head in confusion.

"You mean he…he did that all on his own?" Ryan asked and turned her attention to Kylie, who was sitting rather still now, watching her mother and grandfather interacting. Her big blue eyes were wide with curiosity and Ryan seized her chance, taking hold of a piece of scrambled egg off Kylie's plate with her fingers and holding it up to her mouth.

Kylie skeptically leaned forward and took the eggs into her mouth before leaning back in her chair and chewing loudly. Ryan nabbed another piece of the scrambled eggs and held it up for Kylie, now ready for when she finished chewing.

"He called me up last night and I told him you forgot your lunch. Naturally Deputy Parrish volunteered to swing by and take it to you." Ken stated, matter-of-factly. He shot Ryan a big fat grin and Ryan merely shied away from his gaze, focusing her attention on feeding Kylie, which was going a lot smoother now that Ryan was home and offering her the eggs with her fingers.

"Did you give him 'the talk'?" Ryan chuckled and grabbed hold of Kylie's sippy-cup full of orange juice, offering it to the little girl in the booster seat.

"I did nothing of the sort!" Ken shot back, feigning a hurt expression before breaking out into a grin. "I think that the Deputy's got a bit of a crush on you though."

Ryan tried to fight off her smile but it was no use. Yes, she would never deny that Jordan Parrish was attractive, and he certainly seemed like a nice guy. There was definitely something between them and she wasn't going to admit it out loud but the idea of being something more than friends with him was exciting. If only he wasn't a deputy, if only she hadn't lost her husband not even a year ago, maybe then she would have given in to her feelings earlier, maybe then she wouldn't be so cautious about going out to dinner with him.

"I'm not someone he should think is 'crush worthy'." Ryan joked but Ken furrowed his eyebrows at her, clearly confused about her statement. "Come on dad, I'm nothing special."

"My special mommy!" Kylie squealed and picked up a piece of egg with her own little fingers before throwing it towards Ryan. Ryan lifted her palm up and blocked the egg, ketchup splatting against the skin of her hand as the egg dropped to the table, leaving a mess in its wake.

"Kylie, we don't throw food." Ryan stated firmly and Kylie recoiled in her seat, dropping her eyes to the plate. "You know better than that."

"Sorry mommy." Kylie mumbled and Ken fought off the urge to laugh at what he knew was coming next. "I love you."

Ah yes, there it was. Kylie's infamous proclamation of 'I love you' right after she had been scolded. While Ryan had done something similar when she was a child to get out of trouble, or at the very least in an attempt to lessen her punishment, Ken still found it utterly amusing at what Kylie could pull with Ryan.

"Next time you throw food, I'll have to…I'll have to take away bedtime stories." Ryan stated, fumbling over the punishment. There wasn't a whole lot that Ryan felt comfortable using as punishment for her little girl, especially considering she had just lost her father not too long ago. Kylie was usually a doll but lately, whether it was because she was at that rebellious stage, or because of some other unknown reason, she had been in a bit of a brat mode. "Capiche little girl?"

"Capiche mommy." Kylie grumbled and grabbed another hunk of egg, this time she shoved it into her mouth and chewed it with her mouth wide open, letting both her mother and grandfather watch as the scrambled eggs were broken down by her teeth. Ryan just shook her head at her little girl's actions and turned to her father, who was smirking at Ryan in response to her interaction with Kylie.

"Back to the deputy?" Ken asked with a laugh. "You're special Ry, come on, you have to know that. Cole saw that you were special."

" _I_ was lucky to have Cole." Ryan countered and picked up a piece of her toast, Ken mirroring her motion. He had slathered peanut butter on his own toast while Ryan had always preferred nothing more than butter.

"He was just as lucky to have you. Don't sell yourself short Ry, you're an amazing woman."

"You're just saying that because I'm your daughter." Ryan groaned and shoved the corner of the toast into her mouth before chomping down and ripping a piece off. Kylie beamed at Ryan and shoved another piece of egg into her mouth, eliciting a slight giggle from her mother.

"Just because I'm your dad, doesn't mean that all I say about you is always good." Ken teased.

"Dad, you've never said a mean thing about me, or to me, in your life." Ryan narrowed her eyes in on him. "Besides, he took better care of Kylie than me, he was a better parent-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence Ry. You're a good mom, you do your best for Kylie and that's all anyone can ask for. You're not perfect, no one is, not even me." Ken paused and caught the disbelieving look etched on Ryan's face. "You're doing all you can to make a good life for you and your little girl. Cole would be proud of you."

Ryan dropped her gaze to the table and slowly set her piece of toast back on her plate. Kylie stopped eating her eggs and stared at her mother for a few seconds before looking to her grandfather for some sort of explanation.

"Grampy, you made mommy sad." Kylie pointed out and waved her ketchup covered hand in her mother's direction. "Fix it!"

Ken scooted his chair closer to Ryan's and cautiously moved his hand over, resting his palm between her shoulder blades. He leaned down and pressed a sweet little kiss against the side of her head, Ryan immediately relaxing and moving sideways so that she was against him. Letting out a sigh, Ryan lifted her head up and forced a smile in Kylie's direction, letting her know that 'grampy' had indeed fixed her sadness.

"Better Ky-pie?" Ken looked to his granddaughter for approval and Kylie scrunched her nose up, pretending to think about it for a few seconds before nodding her head yes wildly. "Finish your breakfast, then we'll get you cleaned up and on your way to the sitter for the day, how's that sound?"

Kylie let out a little growl at the idea of going to the babysitter's for the day but before Ken could even make an attempt at persuading the little girl to get excited over leaving, Ryan straightened up and looked over at Kylie.

"You can stay with mommy if you want today." Ryan broke in and Kylie's eyes seemed to light up at the prospect of spending the day with her mom. "I'm off tonight and tomorrow so I don't have to worry about being tired at work later. I can handle her for the day."

"I'll come back and cook you dinner then." Ken offered and Ryan watched now as Kylie threw her hands into the air and let out an excited shriek.

"Meatballs grampy!" Kylie called out. "Meatballs _please!_ "

"And what do you want with the meatballs?" Ken asked with a laugh.

"Pasghetti!" Kylie squealed in response. Ryan couldn't help but smile at her little family as she shook her head in amusement.

"What do you say Ry? Should we have meatballs and pasghetti for dinner?" Ken asked, teasing his little granddaughter in the process.

"Well, like you always used to say 'when you get upsetti, eat some spaghetti', right?" Ryan shot back with a smile of her own.

"Ah yes and for dessert, I can pick up some brownies, we can have a smile dinner."

"Smile dinner?" Kylie cocked her head to the side in confusion. "What's that grampy?"

Ken looked at Ryan, who was looking right back at him with a genuine smile on her face. Ryan nodded her head, silently giving her father permission to explain to the little girl what a 'smile dinner' was.

"When your mom was just a kid, and she was sad, I'd make her spaghetti for dinner and brownies for dessert. When you're upsetti, you eat spaghetti and when you have a frownie, you eat a brownie." Ken explained and Kylie stared at him, her eyes wide in fascination.

"If I have a frownie tomorrow, can I have more brownies?" Kylie asked with a mischievous smile on her face.

"I'll make some brownies later dad." Ryan piped up. "Brownies are easy, then we'll have leftovers."

"Leftover brownies!?" Kylie gasped and began squirming in her booster seat at the prospect of having extra brownies floating around. "Oh yes please mommy! Grampy can we have a smile dinner?"

"What are you forgetting Kylie?" Ryan settled her sights on her daughter and Kylie pressed her fingers against her lips in thought.

"I forgot a please. Please grampy, can we pretty please have a smile dinner?" Kylie beamed up at her grandpa, who was grinning from ear to ear right back at his precious little granddaughter.

"Of course we can." Ken replied and even Ryan found herself grinning at the idea of having one of her dad's infamous smile dinners.

Kylie let out an excited laugh and went right back to finishing up her scrambled eggs. Ken gave Ryan's back a gentle pat and pulled his hand away, moving it to the table where he picked up his fork and stabbed at his scrambled eggs. Ryan followed their lead and picked up her toast once more.

"Thanks dad." Ryan said softly and leaned against him with her shoulder. "For everything."

"You're _my_ little girl, I'd do anything for you, and especially Kylie." Ken nodded without even looking her way. "Hey, what do you say you ask that fine young deputy if he'd like to join us for our smile dinner?"

Ryan felt her cheeks redden at her father's suggestion and even when he looked at her, she knew that she was blushing wickedly.

"Dad, no." She shook her head before looking over at Kylie, watching as her daughter blissfully continued to eat without a care in the world.

"Oh, okay, I get it. Maybe some other time?" Ken nodded, understanding Ryan's look at her daughter. Kylie was still just a kid, she wouldn't understand why there was a strange man joining them for dinner and Ken couldn't exactly blame Ryan for wanting to avoid any awkward conversations with the three-year-old, especially in her own home. Maybe it was better for the deputy to remain on the outside, at least for a little while longer.

"Maybe." Ryan muttered and let out a sigh.

Ken didn't say another word to her, instead, the three of them simply ate their breakfast in silence.

It would seem that a smile dinner was exactly what the family needed.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Jordan was back at the station by the time the very sheriff himself walked in. The steri-strips on Jordan's forehead had been taken off shortly after he had been discharged from the hospital. It had seemed, to the doctors and nurses on duty, that he was perfectly capable of heading back to work, which was a great relief. Jordan wasn't entirely sure what he'd end up doing if he couldn't work, although he figured it wouldn't take too much to find something to do, preferably with a pretty blonde nurse named Ryan.

The idea of taking Ryan out for dinner, with or without Kylie, made him smile and Jordan was finding himself almost giddy at the thought. They hadn't set a specific date, or time, but Jordan knew that it wouldn't take much more than a phone call to hammer out the details, in fact, he was hoping that maybe Ryan would text him sometime during his shift and then he'd try to put things in motion.

He rather enjoyed hearing from her. Text messages were nice but hearing her voice was nicer. Ryan Sloane had him smitten and Jordan wasn't about to give up her attention, which he had worked rather hard to get, and then keep.

Standing behind the desk, Jordan couldn't help but gaze around the room, taking in the sight of the people nearby. The sheriff was back and currently in his office, which was nice, because it seemed that they were going to be dealing with a couple releases soon enough.

Having been sent to retrieve Chris Argent's property, Jordan had managed to kill some time, but when he had gotten back to the desk and peered at his phone, the screen still held no new messages, text or otherwise. As he sifted through the man's property, he had taken note that there was a curious looking weapon hidden inside.

Pulling the item free, Jordan studied it and suddenly it hit him as to what it was. Footsteps broke him out of his daze and when he looked up, he forced a smile at Chris Argent and Derek Hale, who were being released, not enough evidence had been gathered to stick them with any charges.

"I'm here for my things." Chris Argent said firmly and Jordan fiddled with the weapon in his hand. He pushed a button and the electrified baton sprung out, tripling in length.

"Sorry, but I can't let you walk out with this." Jordan countered and rested his index finger and thumb about halfway down the length of the baton. "It's way above the legal voltage limit."

He watched carefully as Chris Argent stared at him, as though he was trying to intimidate Jordan himself.

"I only use it for hunting." Argent stated and Jordan swore that the older man glanced over at Derek Hale, who gave Argent a glare in response. Well that was new, what the hell did Argent mean, what was he implying with his look and why was Derek Hale currently glaring at the man as though he had said something inappropriate?

"Yeah, well, I'm pretty sure you could use it to jump-start a 747." Jordan stared back at Chris Argent, standing firm on the matter. He wasn't about to let the man walk out of the station with a weapon as powerful as the one in his hand and he definitely wasn't going to let the older man get his way just because Jordan was new, young and presumably unfamiliar with the way things worked.

Well that didn't mean anything to Jordan. He wasn't about to take any guff from Argent and he certainly wasn't going to back down. It didn't matter if he _was_ new to Beacon Hills, he was familiar enough with the specialized weapon in his grasp to know how truly dangerous it was, which merely brought up the question as to what exactly Argent hunted that required such a dangerous piece of equipment.

If there was enough juice to 'jump-start a plane', like Jordan had claimed, then that had to mean the type of animal the man hunted had to be huge and there weren't _too_ many animals in California that required a lightsaber to bring them down.

"This property belongs to me and the charges were dropped." Chris Argent argued, maintaining a rather level-headed composure. Jordan felt the urgency in his tone but if he could take a dangerous weapon off the streets, then that's precisely what he was going to do. "Although, I'm not exactly sure who's responsible for that."

The very sheriff himself sauntered into the room and came up beside Argent, leaning his elbows on the counter, "I am. I'll take care of this, Parrish."

Jordan dropped his rigid stance and glanced downwards, "Sheriff, I'm not kidding. This thing's a few watts from being a lightsaber."

The sheriff gently grabbed a hold of the weapon and freed it from Jordan's grasp, leveling him with a stony look that clearly meant there was no point in arguing, "I said I'll take care of it."

The sheriff put his hand on the end of the baton and pushed it so that it was back to the size it had been when Jordan first picked it up. Fighting off the urge to sigh out of frustration, Jordan was reduced to watching as Chris Argent and Derek Hale were ushered out of the room and into the sheriff's office.

Glancing up at the ceiling, Jordan rolled his eyes, knowing that he had just lost a prime opportunity to make the town a little bit safer.

He didn't get a chance to object to the sheriff's decision and even though he wanted nothing more than to find an excuse to get into the sheriff's office to listen in, he knew better. He wasn't about to push his luck, instead, Jordan relaxed and took a seat in the chair behind the desk, letting out a breath.

His eyes were glued on the window to the sheriff's office and he watched carefully as the three men inside conversed. He had no idea what they were talking about or why the sheriff had pulled them into his office to start with, all Jordan really knew was that he didn't trust Chris Argent.

His cell phone vibrated against his leg from inside his pocket and, with one last look into the office, he shoved his hand into his pocket and grabbed hold of his phone. Looking down at the screen, Jordan could no longer hide his smile as Ryan's name flashes across the top. He pulled up the text message and read the words that she had sent him.

Her request that he call her when he had a few minutes had just made his day. The uneasy feeling in his gut went ignored as he grabbed the phone on the desk and slid it closer to himself, lifting up the handset and wedging it between his ear and shoulder. Jordan's fingers worked quickly as he dialed her cell number from the text message on his phone.

Waiting patiently, he sucked in a breath and hoped that she wasn't cancelling on him. She couldn't already be thinking of not wanting to go for dinner, could she? But why else would she call unless she had bad news for him?

He waited for her to pick up and after nearly three rings, she answered, sounding rather tired but other than that, Jordan couldn't pick up on anything odd about her tone. Maybe she wasn't calling to cancel after all, he could only hope this was true.

"You wanted me to call you when I had a free minute, well I've got two now." Jordan teased and Ryan let out an amused snort at his lame joke. "What's up?"

"I figured we could maybe nail down a time for dinner. My dad leaves tomorrow to head out of town, we could go out to eat then, I mean, if your offer still stands of course?" Ryan sounded slightly nervous and Jordan let out a chuckle at her tone.

"Of course it does. Tomorrow night works for me." Jordan smiled to himself and relaxed in his seat. "Where'd you want to go and what time?"

Ryan hummed at his questions for a few seconds before answering, "somewhere kid friendly and I know it'll probably cramp your style but maybe five-ish would be best for the time."

"Fine with me, I take it that means the little lady will be joining us then?"

"Yeah, if that's okay." Ryan shot back, clearly anxious to see how Jordan responded to Kylie's presence at dinner. "If it's not, I can maybe try to dig deeper into my-"

"No, no it's fine. Kylie can come, I'd love it if she joined us."

"You say that now." Ryan groaned and Jordan could almost picture her rolling her eyes at him. "Hey, if you know of a place with a play area inside, that'd be great too, she can tire herself out."

Jordan laughed along with Ryan, who was clearly joking, but the idea of watching Kylie run around and playing in a ball pit sounded entertaining enough. He wouldn't shy away from playing with her either and maybe he could earn some brownie points in Ryan's eyes too.

"What about a picnic then? I can pick dinner up, then get you and the three of us can head out to a park, what do you say?"

Ryan sucked in a breath and Jordan held his, hoping that she'd either accept his idea or shoot him down openly.

"Actually that sounds kind of nice." Ryan let out the breath she had sucked in and Jordan felt his own body relaxing at her answer.

"Awesome, perfect. So, is there anything that Kylie doesn't like to eat?"

"She's not all that picky but if you can grab her something simple from wherever, that'd be better. She's into being a little turd lately so I don't always know what to expect or how to handle her."

Jordan nodded his understanding and smiled wider at the thought of watching Kylie being a 'little turd' as Ryan had so nicely phrased it. He leaned forward in his chair, set his elbows on the desk and grabbed hold of the phone, holding it against his ear.

"Chicken fingers, fries, grilled cheese, that sort of thing?" Jordan asked with a light tone.

"Yes, that sort of thing." Ryan chuckled in response. "And lots of ketchup, whatever you get, make sure you have an overabundance of ketchup."

"Is that for you or for Kylie?" Jordan teased and Ryan laughed at him.

"You'll just have to wait until tomorrow to find out." She shot back but laughed yet again.

"Fair enough. So then I'll pick you up around five tomorrow, is there anything you'd like to request for dinner, or dessert for that matter?" Jordan questioned and waited patiently for Ryan to consider her answer. He glanced around the room and watched as the sheriff wandered out of his office, Chris Argent and Derek Hale trailing along behind him.

His eyes never left the trio and it wasn't until they had disappeared out of his sight completely that he focused back on the conversation with Ryan.

"Surprise me on the dinner but some sort of chocolate cheesecake would be absolutely welcome for dessert." Ryan's voice sounded out in his ear and Jordan turned his attention back to the woman on the other end of the line.

"Chocolate cheesecake, okay, I think I can handle that." Jordan replied.

"Good, I'd be worried if you were the type of guy who can't handle chocolate cheesecake." She jeered and Jordan let out a low chuckle, trying not to be too loud for fear of attracting attention from the other deputies.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow." Jordan let out a breath and Ryan sighed on the other end.

"At five-ish."

"Yes."

"Okay, see you then Jordan."

"I look forward to it."

"Goodbye." Ryan said softly before her end of the line went dead.

Jordan held the phone against his ear for a few more seconds, letting it all sink in. He had actually made a date with the nurse who had been on his mind more often than not. Ryan Sloane was taking over his thoughts any time that he had a few minutes where he could let his mind wander away from work and now he was going to get a chance to spend some quality time with her and her daughter.

Picturing Ryan and Kylie running around the park after they had all eaten made his heart swell the slightest bit. All he could now was hope that dinner went well, after all, if things went smoothly, maybe he'd be seeing a lot more of Ryan Sloane and hopefully it'd be outside of the hospital.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Oooh la la, a picnic for Ryan, Kylie and Jordan! Thank you so much to those that reviewed, followed and favourited, I love hearing from you guys so please keep it up! Any thoughts on the new season, I'm curious to know what you guys think and if there's anything you might want to see happen with Ryan, or Ryan and Jordan together, I'd love to hear your ideas._**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Haigh is such a creeper! Jordan's just trying to be a good person ;)_**

 ** _Guest: Jordan and Kylie...well I don't want to give too much away but I think it'll definitely be swoon worthy! Thanks so much for the review!_**

 ** _musicluver246: Aw, thanks! I hope you keep enjoying it and I really appreciate the review!_**

 ** _If there's anything you guys want to say about anything, maybe you have questions that you want answered or things that you want cleared up, just let me know. Please leave me a review and I'll do my best to get back to you. If there's any questions you might have, feel free to PM me, I'm always up for a chat!_**


	10. Chapter 10

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 10:_**

Ryan had done exactly what she had said she was going to do and had baked the brownies for their dessert, which would become a fundamental part of the smile dinner. Kylie was currently in her room playing with her dolls and Ryan seized her opportunity and basked in the feeling of having just a few minutes to herself before Kylie had the chance to send everything into a spinning cyclone of chaos.

Ken was nearby, standing at the stove manning two pots on the burners; one contained the meatballs that Kylie had requested and the other contained a pot of boiling water, which was ready and waiting for the noodles. Ken paused in his stirring of the meatballs and dumped the noodles into the boiling water, tossing Ryan a smile in the process.

"Why don't you go grab Kylie and get her washed up? It should only be a few more minutes until the smile dinner is ready." Ken suggested and Ryan looked at her dad, not entirely sure what she had done to deserve such an amazing father of her own.

"Don't be upsetti, just eat your spaghetti." Ryan teased with a smirk.

"And if you find yourself with a frownie, just eat a brownie, which look delicious by the way."

"Thanks dad." Ryan shied away from his gaze and felt herself slightly embarrassed by his praise. When she looked back at him though, he was focused on the meatballs, which were being kept warm on the burner.

"Go get Ky, I'll finish up here." Ken instructed and Ryan gave him a nod, acknowledging that she heard him and that she'd do what he asked. She stole another glance at him and found herself studying his face.

He was certainly starting to look his age and Ryan found herself getting gradually more afraid of losing him one day. He was the only male in Kylie's life presently and she knew that he was the best male role model that a girl could ask for, well, second in line after a real father, but Kylie didn't have that, not anymore.

She forced a smile onto her face, pushed her concerns to the back of her mind for the time being and turned on her heels. Walking out of the kitchen, she paused in the doorway and took a big whiff of the air, the pleasant aroma of the meatballs flooded her nostrils. Giving a slight nod of approval, Ryan pressed on and headed for the stairs, climbing them one at a time.

When she hit the landing, she picked up her pace and went right for Kylie's room, hoping to god that her daughter hadn't made as big of a mess as she had been known to make. Ryan poked her head into the room and scrunched her nose at the sight.

Kylie wasn't playing, not in the slightest. The little girl was sitting on the floor, her legs crossed in front of her, her back against the side of her bed and the picture frame that she had acquired from Ryan was in her hands. Kylie's eyes were locked on the photograph underneath the finger print covered glass and Ryan felt her stomach dropping at the sight.

Without saying a word, Ryan stepped into her daughter's bedroom and cautiously lowered herself down to the floor where she sat right next to Kylie and slipped her arm around her shoulders. Cole was cradling baby Kylie in his arms in the photo and Ryan mentally scolded herself for letting the little girl claim the picture when all Ryan had wanted to do was hide it but there was no way she was going to take away one of the very few photos of Cole left in the house, especially not from Kylie.

As much as she wanted to try and lock away the memories of what had happened, Ryan knew that she'd never be able to completely forget that night, the very night that her entire life had been forced to shift. She had lost Cole, Kylie had lost her father and there would always be a part of them that would miss him, even if Kylie grew up with hardly any memories of Cole.

"What are you doing Ky?" Ryan questioned in a murmur. Kylie didn't budge, her eyes remained locked on the picture and Ryan leaned down, gently resting her chin on the top of Kylie's head. "Kylie?"

At the sound of her name, the little girl turned her attention towards Ryan and stared at her. The tot's eyes were full of unshed tears and the sight in front of Ryan broke her heart into a million pieces.

"Why did daddy have to go to heaven?" Kylie asked, her voice barely louder than a whisper. Ryan clutched Kylie tighter and shifted the girl's body so that she was sitting on Ryan's lap. Kylie brought the picture against her chest and hugged it close to her body, dropping her chin and letting out a whimper.

"He uh…well, it was his time to go and he couldn't very well say no."

"Say no to who?" Kylie glanced up at Ryan, her voice still soft and low. "Who wanted him in heaven?"

"Kylie, your dad loved you, so much." Ryan sucked in an anxious breath and gently grabbed hold of the top of the picture frame. She tugged on it and Kylie reluctantly let go of the object, letting out a whine as Ryan set the frame on Kylie's bedside table. "I'm sure he misses you."

"I miss him too mommy." Kylie shook her head and lifted her hands up, pressing her palms against Ryan's cheeks. "Do you miss him?"

Ryan's heart skipped a beat and suddenly she found herself wondering if there was some reason Kylie was questioning her on this now. Had Ryan done something to imply that she didn't miss Cole? Had Kylie picked up on something that Ryan hadn't meant for her to pick up on?

"Of course I miss him Ky, why would you ask something like that?" Ryan asked in a soft, soothing tone.

"Because mommy, you got rid of all the pictures of daddy. Aren't you trying to get rid of him?"

"Oh." Ryan sighed. Well, maybe Kylie was a little more observant than she had originally believed. If Kylie had noticed that all the pictures were gone and that Ryan had been the one to hide them all, what sort of picture was that painting for her baby girl? "I'm not trying to get rid of him and I didn't mean to make you think that just by getting rid of his pictures. It doesn't mean I don't miss him Ky, not at all."

"Well, how come you don't sleep in your bed anymore?" Kylie piped up, her eyes widening in curiosity. Ryan let out another sigh and shifted her hold on the little girl. Kylie relaxed as Ryan hugged her tight against her, Kylie's chin now resting against her mother's shoulder.

"I don't…you're too little to understand." Ryan murmured and shut her eyes, hoping that Kylie would stop with the questions for the time being. It was still painful, it still hurt every time Ryan turned around and was cruelly reminded that Cole wasn't there, that he'd never _be_ there. Kylie was going to grow up without her father, Ryan was going to get older without her husband and there wasn't a second that went by when Ryan didn't feel the hurt from the loss of Cole Sloane.

"Okay mommy." Kylie whispered and drummed her tiny little fingers against Ryan's neck. "Okay."

"Are you ready for dinner?" Ryan inquired, quickly changing the subject before Kylie could ask any more questions. "Grandpa made us his special smile dinner, remember?"

Kylie straightened up and stumbled to her feet, standing on the floor next to Ryan as she leaned against her shoulder. Her eyes it up at the prospect of having a smile dinner made by her grandpa and Ryan couldn't help but smile right back. They hadn't even started on dinner and already the two of them were smiling, so far, so good.

"Brownies!" Kylie squealed and clapped her hands in front of her. "And Pasghetti, right mommy?"

"Right." Ryan nodded her head and made quick work of getting to her feet. She bent over and hauled Kylie up onto her hip, wandering out of the girl's bedroom and heading for the bathroom.

Kylie giggled as Ryan slipped into the bathroom and set Kylie's butt on the counter beside the sink. She then grabbed hold of the tap and turned the water on to a lukewarm temperature. Kylie leaned over and jammed her hands under the water, grinning up at Ryan as she pumped the foaming hand soap onto Kylie's palm.

Ryan watched on with pride as Kylie rubbed the soap all over her hands, making sure to get in between her fingers. Ryan followed Kylie's lead and lathered her own hands up with the foaming soap, the two of them now dueling for sole possession of the water flow. Ryan didn't fight very hard, just enough to keep Kylie interested in washing her hands and when the soap was off Kylie's hands and running down the drain, Ryan made quick work of the soap on her own hands before reaching back behind her and nabbing one of the hand towels hanging on the rack.

"All clean mommy." Kylie giggled and Ryan gently tossed the towel at her, covering her arms with it.

Kylie continued to giggle as she rubbed her hands on the towel before throwing it back at Ryan, who snorted in amusement at the gesture. Once her own hands were dry, Ryan let the towel fall to the counter and then she slipped her arm around Kylie's middle, carefully lifting her up off the counter and propping her against her hip.

"We should give you a bath later." Ryan stated and Kylie shook her head no furiously. Just like many children her age, she had quite the aversion to taking baths, this wasn't anything that Ryan wasn't already aware of. There was a reason there was a small basket of bath toys in the cupboard under the sink and generally Kylie was willing to get into the tub if Ryan let her play with her mermaid toy.

"I'm hungry." Kylie whined and Ryan shook her head right back at Kylie.

"We'll go get dinner but you're having a bath later."

"But mommy!" Kylie whined again, her voice getting slightly higher than normal. "I don't want to, please no!"

"Not even if you get to play with Ariel?" Ryan asked, referring to her mermaid toy.

Kylie seemed to consider Ryan's offer. If she _did_ go for it then she'd definitely make her bath time worth it. She simply adored playing with Ariel and if that was what it took to get Kylie to take a bath, well then Ryan wasn't going to take it away any time soon.

"Okie dokie." Kylie nodded her head and relaxed in Ryan's hold, gently lowering her head down so that her ear rested against Ryan's shoulder. "I'm still hungry though."

"Okay, okay." Ryan tisked impatiently and turned towards the bathroom door, lugging her daughter out of there and heading right for the stairs. Kylie's grip tightened as the two of them descended down to the main floor and it wasn't until Ryan was safely on the hardwood at the bottom of the stairs that Kylie's grip loosened.

Without thinking too much about what had transpired upstairs, Ryan bent down and set Kylie on the ground, watching with a smile as the toddler took off in a mad dash for the kitchen. When Ken's laughter sounded out from the next room, Ryan couldn't help but feel that little bit better about her entire situation.

Cole was gone and that was never going to change, and one day they'd lose Ken too, but for now he was standing in the kitchen making them a smile dinner. Ryan would save her worries for another day, tonight it was spaghetti and meatball night and there was no way she was going to be sad, especially considering there were brownies for dessert.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Dinner had gone smoothly and even Kylie's bath hadn't resulted in the bathroom looking like a total disaster zone, like it had so many times before. Ken didn't have to use his authoritative voice and Ryan hadn't gotten frustrated with her little devil child, in fact, once Kylie was squeaky clean and her hair had been washed, she had become rather compliant and Ryan was quick to attribute that to the fact that Kylie was probably exhausted.

She had spent the entire day with Ryan, which didn't happen all that often, and the three of them had sat down and enjoyed a wonderful smile dinner. Kylie had a hard time eating her brownie after dinner from all the laughing that she had been doing, courtesy of her grandpa. Hell, even Ryan was having a hard time being serious and their laughter echoed in the kitchen, Ken proud of cheering up the two girls, even if they hadn't realized that they needed cheering up at all.

Ryan had tucked Kylie into her bed without too much fuss, although she did have to read the girl two bedtime stories in order to get her to calm down enough to shut her eyes and drift off. She had fallen asleep just a few pages from the end of the second story, so Ryan had shut the book, set it on the shelf under her bedside table and made sure Kylie was tucked in nice and tight. With a kiss on the little girl's forehead, Ryan moved away from her sleeping child and headed out into the hall, making sure her light was off as she passed by. She pulled the door about halfway shut, leaned against the wall outside Kylie's room and let out a contented sigh.

Ken was sitting on the couch when Ryan wandered back down the stairs, flopping down onto the cushion next to him and leaning against his shoulder. Ken glanced sideways at his daughter and smiled, hoping that there would be many more nights like the one they had just experienced in his future.

"Do you have to leave tomorrow?" Ryan whined and brought her legs up, tucking them under her bum. Ken lifted his arm up and slipped it around Ryan's shoulders, giving her a gentle pat on her arm with his palm.

"I'll only be gone for a few days." Ken responded and let out a chuckle at Ryan's whining. "Plus it might be nice for you and Kylie to spend some time together without me around to interfere."

"Well that's well and good but I made a date for tomorrow night." Ryan countered and tilted her head back, looking up at her dad. "Me and the deputy are taking Kylie on a picnic."

Ken nodded his approval and lifted his legs up, propping his feet on the edge of the coffee table. Ryan let out a sigh and snuggled up in her father's hold, basking in the warmth that he was providing her at that very moment.

"That sounds like fun." Ken remarked, Ryan nodded her head pathetically against his shoulder.

"It does, I guess I'm just a little worried."

"What are you worried about?"

"Okay, so when I went up to get Kylie washed up for dinner, I walked into her room and found her staring at that god damn picture of her and Cole." Ryan ground the words out, more disappointed in herself for not knowing how truly affected by Cole's absence Kylie was.

"She's a little girl Ry, she's curious." Ken replied.

"I know that but then she started asking me questions and when she informed me that she wasn't sure if I missed him because I got rid of all his pictures…" Ryan sucked in a breath and tried to remain composed, "dad what the hell am I supposed to say to her?"

"You could try being honest." Ken suggested and Ryan groaned at the thought. Kylie was three, she barely understood complex things on a good day and her father expected her to be honest with Kylie about something as complex as death? That wasn't going to happen, not until her baby girl started to understand more and more.

"She's too little dad." Ryan pointed out. "But I know that's not going to fly for much longer. Eventually she's going to start understanding more and then what am I supposed to do?"

"Ryan, you're doing the best you can." Ken sighed and Ryan shifted against his side. "You just have to try to be as honest as you can with her while also keeping it at a level where she can sort of understand. She's going to miss her dad and you and I both know that you can't hide your pain by getting rid of his face everywhere in the house."

"It helps though." Ryan mumbled. "I just can't bear to look at the walls and see pictures of him where he's happy, where we're happy. It hurts too much knowing that I'll never see him smile like that again."

"Fair enough but is it worth hiding the kid's dad from her though?" Ken posed the question and Ryan let out a frustrated groan.

It was obvious that her dad had a point. Just because Ryan couldn't handle seeing Cole's face everywhere didn't mean that Kylie deserved to suffer because of it.

"No." Ryan muttered.

"I didn't get rid of the pictures of your mother after she passed away."

"I know that." Ryan grumbled. "I just can't handle it yet. Does that make me a bad mother?"

Ken leaned down and rested his chin on the top of Ryan's head, trying to soothe her, to calm her down enough so that she didn't burst into tears at the memories of Cole. He knew that she was hurting, it was obvious in the way that she had cleared the walls of Cole's face and by the way she still refused to go into the bedroom unless she had too. Ryan continued to sleep on the couch, months after Cole had been killed, and Ken wasn't entirely sure if there was anything he could say to make her pain go away.

"You're not a bad mother at all and don't ever question that again." Ken said softly. "That little girl is lucky to have you and while I understand that it's hard to move on, I think you're getting there."

"Maybe."

"Ry, the pain of losing Cole won't just stop one day but I can promise you that it'll gradually lessen. He loved you and Kylie and he'd want you to be happy."

Ryan let out a huff and crossed her arms over her chest. Ken tightened his grip on her and felt her muscles relaxing under his touch.

"Do you still miss mom?" She asked in a voice so soft that Ken had just barely made out what she was saying.

"Every day." He nodded. "But she'd want me to be happy."

"So then how come you never tried finding a new woman?" Ryan peered up at her dad and blinked her eyes, fighting back the tears that were welling up, blurring her vision.

"I dated some women back when you were in college and I had more time, I just never found the right person. That being said, if the right person showed up in my life now, I wouldn't be against trying to make a life with her." Ken explained. "Just because your mom died, doesn't mean I'm supposed to spend the rest of my life mourning her. She'd want me to move on, especially if it made me happy. Cole would want the same for you."

"But dad, it's only been a few months." Ryan pointed out and found her mind drifting to Kylie, who was sleeping soundly up in her own bed, the picture of Cole holding Kylie as a baby residing on her nightstand. "I feel like there's a certain amount of time that I should stay single in order to honour Cole properly, does that make sense or do I just sound like a crazy person?"

Ken let out a scoff at Ryan asking if she was a crazy person. He had always thought of his daughter as a little out of the ordinary and maybe a little crazy at times but there was nothing to suggest Ryan was certifiable. Even after she had lost Cole, she hadn't done anything too drastic, aside from move out of her own bedroom because it hurt her too much and get rid of all the pictures of Cole from the walls of the house. That wasn't too crazy though, not in Ken's eyes.

"I think you're allowed to believe that. If you feel like you're somehow cheating Cole because you haven't given yourself enough time to understand you have to move on, who am I to judge? That's not a cut and dry decision but honestly Ry, I think you're cheating yourself out of the possibility of something great."

"Like what?" Ryan scoffed.

"Deputy Parrish." Ken paused and let Ryan digest his answer. "Now I know I've only met him a couple of times but he seems like a nice guy and I can definitely see that there's something going on between you two. At the very least, you should give him a chance, don't cut yourself off just because of what happened to Cole."

"But what happened to Cole destroyed everything I knew. Dad, he was my life."

"Kylie's your life now. I'm not saying you have to marry the guy but maybe try to enjoy yourself tomorrow on your little date okay?"

Ryan nodded her understanding and stretched her legs out. She twisted her body so that her back was against her father's side, his arm wrapping around her waist and hugging her tight. She relaxed against him and tilted her head back, squeezing her eyes shut and taking his words to heart.

Was she really ready to give someone else a chance? Was Jordan Parrish worthy of a shot in her eyes? He had certainly proven himself to be persistent and there was definitely a certain charm about him that Ryan couldn't resist. He seemed like a decent enough guy and so far he hadn't done anything to suggest he was anything but a good person.

Maybe he deserved a chance, maybe Ryan could try to open up to him. Maybe he'd be a good friend if that's what it all boiled down too. Ryan wasn't about to turn away a friend, even if there definitely _was_ something between them, something more than just a simple desire to be friends.

"I think I can at least manage to enjoy myself." Ryan murmured. "I just don't want Kylie to get the wrong idea though, I mean she already thinks I'm trying to get rid of Cole, what if she thinks Jordan's going to replace him?"

Ken sighed but smiled at Ryan, who opened her eyes and stared at her father, "no one could ever replace Cole, you know that. But if you're concerned, maybe you need to call the deputy and lay it all out on the line; let him know that you're unsure and that you have Kylie's best interest at heart. If he's a decent guy, he'll understand that and if he doesn't understand that, well then he doesn't deserve the time of day."

Ryan let out an amused snort, "You're pretty good at this, you know that dad?"

"I've had a few years to practice. Trust me Ry, you've got to relax a little bit, let things happen. Something good might come out of everything after all."

Ryan shook her head at her father's words. Something good _might_ happen but she wasn't about to admit that she was ready to let go of Cole for good. One day she might be able to live her life without regretting so much, like not spending as much time with him as she could've or not sticking around a little longer after Kylie had been born before heading back to work. The thought of the three of them still being a family constantly crossed her mind and while Jordan was playing his part in helping her loosen her grip on the past, she certainly wasn't ready to let go altogether.

"I just wish it didn't have to happen the way it did." Ryan forced the words out and blinked her eyes, desperately trying to fight off the tears. As soon as her eyes squeezed shut, she felt the hot tears stream down her face, over her smooth skin. Ken readjusted his hold on her and let her lay down, her head resting on his lap as she gazed up at him, her expression that of utter devastation.

"Ryan, no one deserved that and you definitely didn't deserve to lose him the way you did. I wish I could tell you that it'll be okay and maybe one day it will be but I also know that you're going to be living the rest of your life with what happened. Cole was an amazing man and an excellent father, don't ever doubt that but you can do this. You can be the greatest mother to Kylie so long as you don't give up. Promise me Ry that no matter what happens, you won't let the sadness take over."

More tears erupted from Ryan's eyes and she turned onto her side, her eyes looking out at the coffee table and staring at her dad's feet.

"I promise."

Ken's hand ran up and down her bicep and Ryan tried to stop the tears. No matter what happened in the future though, she would always miss Cole, all she could now was pray that Kylie didn't get caught up in her chaotic emotions, the little girl sleeping upstairs deserved to have a stable family life, even if Ryan was shattering into pieces at that very moment.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _And here we have a little bit of Grandpa Ken, Kylie and Ryan having dinner as a family, what did you guys think? Is he right about letting things happen?_**

 ** _Thank you so much to those that reviewed, followed and favourited, I love hearing from you guys so please keep it up! How are you enjoying the story so far?_**

 ** _Guest (1): lost it in a good way I hope! thanks for the review!_**

 ** _winchesterxgirl: Oh I'm so glad to have gotten your reviews! Melissa is a pretty big role model to Ryan so there will be plenty more of her in future chapters. Kylie's definitely not always rainbows and sunshine but hey, she's a decent kid. thank you so much for all of the reviews!_**

 ** _Guest (2): The grittier story lines, yes, those will happen for sure. I won't give you too much but she does eventually find out about the supernatural and she doesn't take it all that well. Thank you so much for the review, I hope you continue to read and enjoy!_**

 ** _Guest (3): Hey, that works for me! Jordan seems like a nice enough guy, I think you'll like him and Kylie together! Thanks so much for the review!_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: And here was dinner, what'd you think? Thanks for leaving me a review, it's much appreciated!_**

 ** _If there's anything you guys want to say about anything, maybe you have questions that you want answered or things that you want cleared up, just let me know. Please leave me a review and I'll do my best to get back to you. If there's any questions you might have, feel free to PM me, I'm always up for a chat!_**


	11. Chapter 11

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 11:_**

After switching out Jordan's car for Ryan's, which was already good to go with Kylie's car seat set up in the back seat, the three of them were off, heading right for the park where they'd hopefully enjoy a picnic, although the sky above seemed to threaten their good time.

The clouds overhead hadn't started out that dark but Ryan had been watching them growing more and more ominous with each passing second. Rain had been in the forecast but Ryan wasn't about to forfeit a prime opportunity to get to know Jordan and watch exactly how he'd interact with her daughter in a slightly more private scene. Rain or no rain, it was picnic time.

The idea of Jordan Parrish winning over Kylie had been floating around in Ryan's head since they had arranged the entire picnic, but she also knew how fussy Kylie could be if she was in one of her foul moods. The little girl, at least so far that day, had been behaving rather decently, something for which Ryan was thankful for, but that didn't mean Kylie wouldn't change gears. She was unpredictable and that was something that Ryan was a little anxious about.

As she drove the car, Jordan sitting casually in the passenger seat, she couldn't help but feel that the future of their relationship, whether it be just friendly or held the potential for something more, hinged on this picnic. He glanced over at her and threw her a smile before turning all the way around and looking at Kylie, who was securely sitting in the backseat. The picnic, as well as a small bag of toys, resided in the trunk of the car and the closer they got to the park, the more excited Jordan seemed to get.

"Thanks." Ryan broke the silence and Jordan twisted back around to face the front before looking at Ryan with a confused expression on his face.

"For what?"

She hesitated and peered into the rear-view mirror, watching for a split second as Kylie wiggled her stuffed monkey in the air, "for the picnic. It's been quite a while since we've had anyone other than my dad hang out with us."

Jordan nodded his head in understanding, "how long is 'quite a while'?"

Ryan sucked in an anxious breath and considered his question. Even before Cole had died, it wasn't like they had done a lot of stuff together, Ryan had always been working when Cole was off and Cole had worked a lot of them time when Ryan was off, which didn't leave a lot of time off for them to be together as a family.

"More than six months ago." Ryan confessed and stole another look at Kylie in the mirror. The little girl seemed oblivious to the conversation going on in the front seat, which was just the way Ryan preferred it. The less Kylie paid attention to serious conversations such as the one she was currently having, the happier the little girl would be. One day Ryan would talk to her daughter about Cole but for right now, the less he was brought up, the easier Ryan found it for herself.

"Oh wow." Jordan remarked and looked out the window, watching as Ryan turned into the small parking lot to the park, which was near a little pond, benches and picnic tables were scattered about and there was a pavilion built up in the edge of the trees that Ryan figured was used for special events, it was currently unused though and she didn't imagined that anyone would be coming for it today, not with the looming black clouds above.

She pulled the car to a stop in the spot nearest the playground area and put the gearshift into park. Once the car was turned off, she was out the door and working on getting Kylie out of her car seat. Jordan hesitated in the front before following her lead, except he bypassed the back door and went right for the trunk, which Ryan had popped with her key fob before starting in on the task of freeing her daughter.

He hauled the picnic basket out of the trunk and grabbed the plastic bag, lifting the handles onto his wrist. Yes, this was his secret weapon, this was his ticket to getting Kylie to like him. Inside the bag was a small teddy bear, which he had gone out and bought shortly after they had planned out the picnic. He had also grabbed a half-sized foam football and a little soccer ball that the three of them could all play with, well that was his hope anyways.

The sky had already gotten twice as dark as it had been when they set out but at Ryan's nonchalant attitude towards the potential rain storm, Jordan decided to follow her lead. If it rained, it rained, he couldn't do anything to stop it and the pavilion would make a great shelter if they didn't have the picnic finished.

"Where do you want to set up?" Jordan asked, lifting his one hand up and closing the trunk. He grabbed the picnic basket with both hands and wandered around to the side of the car where Ryan was busy freeing Kylie, her body bent into the backseat. Seconds later, she lifted Kylie out of her seat, set the monkey down in the car and propped her against her hip. Jordan stepped up to the door and nudged the door with his hip, shutting it for Ryan as she held Kylie against her.

"Thanks. What if we take that table by the playground, then Kylie can play." Ryan suggested and Jordan nodded before using his head to motion towards the table in question. Jordan took up walking behind her, Kylie glancing over Ryan's shoulder and staring at him, her eyes wide and a curious expression on her face.

Jordan smiled back at her and Kylie turned away from him, glancing at the side of Ryan's head before peeking back at him. He made a funny face at her, sticking his tongue out, and she giggled. Jordan made another face, eliciting more giggling from the girl, repeating the process until Ryan was standing at the head of the table.

She turned towards Jordan and gave her a disbelieving look before setting Kylie on the edge of the top of the table, her little legs hanging over the edge and swinging back and forth wildly.

"Mommy, is this guy going to be my new daddy?" Kylie waved her arms out towards Jordan and Ryan visibly tensed at the kid's question. Before Ryan had a chance to answer, or not answer, Jordan set the picnic basket down on the seat of the table and opened the plastic bag, pulling the little teddy bear out and offering it to Kylie.

Ryan watched carefully as her little girl's eyes lit up at the little brown teddy bear adorning a tiny white t-shirt. A big red heart was stitched across the front of the t-shirt and when Kylie took hold of the bear, she clutched it against her chest, swinging her shoulders back and forth.

"I didn't get you a teddy bear." Jordan teased and looked over at Ryan, who seemed stunned by the situation. "I can though, if you want one?"

Ryan shook her head and stepped around the end of the table, taking a seat on the opposite side from the basket. She slid Kylie along the edge of the table and situated her so that she was sitting directly in front of her mother, still hugging the bear tight against her chest.

"Mommy look!" Kylie exclaimed and finally loosened her hold on the bear, holding it out to Ryan and waving the teddy bear in her face. "See what the nice man got me?"

"Ky, his name's Jordan." Ryan replied with a laugh of her own. She gently took hold of the bear and studied it but she never took it out of Kylie's hands. Jordan smiled at the two of them and when Ryan let go of the bear, letting Kylie hug it against her chest again, she looked up at Jordan and felt her cheeks blushing the slightest bit.

So far he was doing really well, he had brought the picnic, he had picked her up on time and now Kylie was sitting on the table grinning as she continued to squeeze her new teddy bear tight.

"Jordie!" Kylie laughed and kissed the top of the teddy bear's head.

"I'm glad you like your bear." Jordan chuckled and made quick work of flipping the top of the picnic basket open.

Kylie twisted her head around and watched him with a smile as he pulled Tupperware containers out of the basket. Ryan followed Kylie's lead but she grabbed hold of the little girl under the armpits and moved her from the top of the table down to her lap, where Kylie immediately shifted her butt against her mother's thighs in an attempt to get comfortable.

"I went to the grocery store and bought a bunch of food." Jordan explained simply and Ryan reached her arms out, one on either side of Kylie, and took hold of the first container before popping the lid off revealing macaroni salad. Kylie tucked her bear under her arm and reached out too.

"What is it?" Kylie questioned and Jordan quickly pulled out a plastic spoon, offering it to Ryan who scooped out a little bit of the macaroni salad and held it up to Kylie's mouth. She opened wide and took the noodles off the spoon, chewing loudly and swallowing it when she was ready. She looked up at Jordan and waved frantically at the container, "more!"

"More what Ky?" Ryan asked and leaned her head down closer to Kylie's ear.

"More please!"

Jordan chuckled at the little girl and watched as Ryan spooned out a few more noodles, Kylie taking them into her mouth eagerly.

Before anyone said anything more, he produced more containers only this time he took the liberty of taking the lids off and sliding them towards Ryan. One of the containers held chicken fingers, another one held potato wedges and yet another container held a small chocolate cheesecake, as per Ryan's request.

"Ketchup Jordie?" Kylie looked up at him with what Jordan could only call puppy dog eyes. Jordan held up his finger and seconds later, he pulled out a small, plastic bottle of ketchup, handing it over to Kylie. Ryan intercepted it and held it just out of the little girl's reach.

"Do you have something I can put the ketchup on?" Ryan asked softly and Jordan quickly slid one of the container lids over towards her. Ryan flipped the lid back on the ketchup and squirted some onto the lid before moving it within Kylie's reach. She then grabbed a handful of the potato wedges and set them on the lid beside the ketchup.

"Mommy, can you put my bear somewhere safe?" Kylie turned her head to the side and looked up at Ryan with pleading eyes. Ryan set the ketchup on the table and took hold of the teddy bear, shoving the bears legs into the front pocket on her jeans.

"I can put it in the basket if you want?" Jordan offered and Kylie's eyes lit up.

"Yeah mommy! Put him in the basket!" Kylie squealed and Ryan looked down at her daughter, who quickly added, "please?"

Jordan took the bear once Ryan handed it to him and set it in the basket before pulling out some juice boxes and closing the lid. Kylie beamed up at him, grabbed hold of a potato wedge, jammed it into the ketchup and proceeded to bite the end off of it. Jordan couldn't help but return her smile as he sat down across from them, sliding the juice boxes to the middle of the table.

"I got fruit punch, I hope that's okay." Jordan remarked.

"Fruit punch is her favourite." Ryan said with a smile. "And props for the chicken fingers and potato wedges, simple yet effective."

"Thanks." Jordan smiled and reached out, grabbing a potato wedge and dipping it into Kylie's ketchup. Once she saw him dip his potato, she looked up at him and giggled. "I have sauces for the chicken in the basket too if you want it."

Ryan shook her head no with a smile and helped herself to one of the chicken fingers, biting off the end before offering it to Kylie, who took it in her little hand and jammed the end into the ketchup. Jordan met Ryan's eyes and couldn't help but feel like maybe this would turn out well for the both of them. He was already getting along with Kylie and from what he could gather, the kid liked him too. Now he just had to make sure the rest of the picnic went on without incident.

"So, this is pretty nice." Ryan said in a soft voice, Kylie oblivious to her speaking at all. The little girl was way too into eating the chicken finger and potato wedges to notice her mother and Jordan interacting.

"Except for the dark grey sky." Jordan joked and looked up, Ryan following his gaze.

"Well, as long as the rain stays away, then it's all good." She countered, bringing her eyes down, glancing at Kylie. There was ketchup all over the girl's hands and when Ryan leaned over her shoulder, the red sauce was streaked across her cheeks too. "On second thought, rain might be just the thing Kylie needs when she's done eating."

Jordan let out a laugh at Ryan's words and took hold of a chicken finger, biting off the end without any sauce at all. He looked at Ryan and studied her face for a few seconds, taking in the lingering sadness in her eyes. He knew that her husband had died in the sheriff's station massacre just over six months ago, he knew that she was afraid of losing anyone else and he couldn't blame her. If he was in her position, he'd be terrified to let anyone important walk out the door without telling them how much he cared about them.

"I brought a football and a soccer ball we can play with after." Jordan announced and let his attention wander to the playground nearby. He wasn't going to admit it out loud but the idea of playing on the equipment with Kylie and Ryan was rather exciting.

"You've clearly underestimated how uncoordinated we Sloanes really are." Ryan chuckled. "My dad's the athlete in the family."

"Well to be fair, the football's made of foam and the soccer ball is pint sized." Jordan pointed out and nabbed a potato wedge from the container. "Although I don't know about Kylie here, but I've been eyeing up that swing set since we pulled in."

"She's probably more interested in the slide." Ryan smirked and nudged Kylie in the side, drawing the little girl's attention away from the food. "What do you say munchkin, have you been looking at that curly slide at all?"

"Oh yes! I want to slide!" Kylie grinned and moved her hands down, making an attempt to wipe her hands on her pants. Ryan intercepted her hands and motioned at Jordan, who immediately pulled a few napkins out of the picnic basket and handed them to Ryan. Kylie's hands were wiped nearly clean and Ryan banded her arm around the little girl's tummy, lifting her up and off her lap.

Kylie wiggled but Ryan promptly set her on the grass. Kylie jumped in place and Ryan grinned at Jordan before climbing off the seat and taking her hand.

"Come on, let's go slide before the rain come." Ryan called out to him and took off in a jog with her little girl.

Jordan hung back for a few seconds and watched Kylie head for the chain ladder on the side of the playground. Ryan grabbed her under her arm pits and helped her up the chains, letting go only when Kylie was securely on the platform.

Ryan took a step back, tossed a glance over her shoulder and raised her eyebrows at Jordan, who nearly jumped off the seat and dashed over towards the girls. He took up a stance next to Ryan and watched Kylie as she paused at a little game along the walkway of the playground.

"So, how am I doing so far?" Jordan asked and nudged her shoulder with his own.

"You're doing pretty good." Ryan answered but her eyes never left Kylie as the tot continued to play with the game on the walkway. "Good choice of food, great thinking on the bear and thanks for saving me from having to answer if you're going to be her new dad."

"Well, we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves." Jordan smiled and Ryan scoffed at him.

"Not yet." Ryan shook her head. "Thanks for the picnic, seriously. This is really nice."

"It's no big deal."

"Maybe not to you but even on my time off I rarely get a chance to just hang out and have fun with Kylie. I'm always busy trying to get the house cleaned up or stressing over her babysitter or work."

"Why?"

"Well see there's this deputy who keeps showing up at the hospital…" She trailed off and tossed him a knowing look. "I just get anxious at the thought of him randomly showing up."

"Oh man, you should give me his name and badge number and I'll have a little talk with him." Jordan teased right back, knowing full well that she was referring to him. "I'd hate for some other lawman to steal your attention away from me."

"It's not the lawman you should be worrying about, it's that little girl over there." Ryan let out a laugh and crossed her arms over her chest. Kylie moved away from the game on the walkway and moseyed on over towards the curly slide. Ryan uncrossed her arms, took a gentle hold of Jordan's hand and tugged him along behind her as she made her way over to the bottom of the slide, ready to catch her little girl once she slid down.

"Watch me mommy!" Kylie laughed and Ryan crouched down in front of the end of the slide.

"I'm watching!" Ryan called back and Kylie sat down on the slide at the top before letting go of the sides and moving down to the bottom.

Ryan caught her before she hit the ground and hauled her up onto her hip. Kylie wrapped her arms around Ryan's neck and held on tight as Ryan headed over to the table. Jordan followed their lead but this time he sat down next to them, Kylie right back on Ryan's lap. He glanced up at the sky and watched as the dark clouds rolled towards them, stopping above them.

"Jordie," Kylie spoke up and turned to face Jordan while Ryan grabbed a potato wedge and handed it to Kylie, "who's your favourite Disney princess?"

"I'm rather partial to Cinderella, what about you?" Jordan answered with ease, keeping his sole focus on Kylie.

"Ariel, duh!" She laughed and leaned back against Ryan's chest. "What about your favourite colour?"

"Blue." Jordan nodded with a smile. "You?"

"I like purple and pink." Kylie grinned up at him. "Mommy's favourite is purple."

"Purple's good." Jordan reached his hand out and nabbed a chicken finger from the container, ripping it in half and handing Kylie one part while he kept the second. "What's your favourite animal?"

Kylie brought her hand up to her cheek and considered his question, "monkeys!"

"Do you have a favourite movie?"

"The Lion King, oh and The Little Mermaid!" Kylie squealed in delight. "Mommy loves The Lion King, I think it's because of Timone and Pumbaa, they're funny."

"Hakuna Matata, right?" Jordan looked at Kylie, who's eyes widened at the infamous words. She stared at him, apparently shocked that someone else, outside of their family, knew what those particular words meant.

"No worries, no worries!" Kylie chanted and Ryan couldn't help but snicker at her baby girl. "You're funny Jordie!"

Ryan remained quiet as she watched her daughter and Jordan interact. There hadn't been too many people, aside from the parents of the other kids at the babysitter's, that got a chance to interact with Kylie and so far, Ryan was pulling for the deputy to win her over. It seemed like he was well on his way, now all she had to hope for was that he didn't suddenly say the wrong thing and throw everything off course.

When the first raindrop hit Ryan on the forehead, she stiffened up and waited for the downpour to start. Before the rain had a chance to really ruin their picnic, Jordan leapt to his feet, gathered up all the food and stuffed it into the basket once the lids were on, even the one covered in ketchup. He grabbed the picnic basket and the bag with the toys in it and motioned for the two girls to follow his lead.

Ryan lifted Kylie up and hugged her against her chest, the two of them getting sprinkled with rain. Once they were under the roof of the pavilion, Ryan dropped down onto the end of the picnic table and set Kylie on the concrete slab the pavilion had been built on, but the little girl quickly climbed up onto the bench seat and flopped down.

"I want dessert." Kylie whined and Jordan set the picnic basket on the table before pulling the chocolate cheesecake out of it. He then produced three plastic plates and three plastic forks.

When he pulled a plastic knife out of the basket, he popped the lid off the cake container and began cutting it into slices, offering Kylie the first piece once it was on the plate. Kylie didn't even bother with a fork, instead, she jammed her fingers into the creamy cake and licked the mess off her fingers.

Ryan received the second slice and she sat down next to Kylie, taking hold of a fork and taking a piece of the delectable dessert into her mouth. Jordan cut himself a slice and sat down on the opposite side, diving into his own cake.

"I was hoping it'd hold off on the rain." Ryan said softly and glanced down at Kylie, who was now covered in chocolate cheesecake. "But I guess we can't be too picky, it was going pretty good for the most part."

"We'll just have to have another picnic when it's nicer out." Jordan pointed out and Kylie paused in eating her cake before shaking her head yes furiously. She was clearly excited for yet another outing with Jordan and if Ryan let him, he'd love to take Kylie on as many picnics as she wanted.

"Sounds like a plan." Ryan said with a small smile. "I think picnics are a great idea."

"Good." Jordan nodded. "What should we have to eat next time then, pizza?"

"Yes please!" Kylie piped up and slammed her fingers back into the cake. "I love pizza Jordie!"

"Then all we have to do is set a date." Jordan looked at Ryan and smirked. "When's a good time for you?"

"I don't know." Ryan shrugged. "I'll have to see when my next days off are."

"I can wait as long as it takes." Jordan bowed his head. "Now, if you two don't mind, I think I might go play in the rain."

Kylie froze and slowly brought her eyes towards Jordan. She broke out into a smile and scampered to her feet on the seat, waving her hands out towards him. Ryan motioned for a napkin and Jordan handed her one, which was then used to wipe the little girl's hands off yet again. Ryan dropped the napkin against the surface of the table and helped Kylie to the ground.

Jordan wandered around the end of the table, offered the little girl his hand and when she took it, he headed right for the edge of the pavilion. The two of them paused, looked back at Ryan with devilish grins and before she could object, they jumped out into the muddy grass, letting the rain fall on them, soaking their clothes through.

Ryan leaned back on her seat and watched the two of them dancing around and laughing. She felt her heart swelling at the joy filled laughter that her daughter was producing and when her eyes landed on Jordan, who was lifting the little girl off the ground, Ryan couldn't help but feel her cheeks going warm.

Kylie held on to him tightly as he began spinning them around faster and faster. Ryan was getting slightly dizzy just watching them and right before Jordan lost his footing, Ryan leapt to her feet.

She stopped dead in her tracks, watching in horror as the two of them tumbled to the ground. Jordan twisted his body though and his back hit the ground first, his body breaking Kylie's fall as he hugged her against his chest. The little girl erupted into squeals of laughter and Jordan, who was now lying in a mud puddle, joined her.

Ryan shook her head at the two of them, broke out into a run and came to a skidding stop just a few feet away from her fallen comrade. She extended her hand to Jordan but he grinned at her, maneuvered his way to his feet and rose up, Kylie still clutched against his chest.

"Dance with us mommy!" Kylie screeched and threw her hands into the air in excitement.

Ryan caught the sparkle in Jordan's eyes and shied away from his gaze. Kylie reached out for her and Ryan stepped closer to them. Jordan took off in a run just as Ryan got within reach and as Kylie's laughter filled the air, Ryan felt herself relaxing with a man, who wasn't her father, for the first time since Cole had passed away.

Boy had she missed that feeling.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Ah yes, Jordan and Kylie finally interacting, how are you guys feeling about the two of them?_**

 ** _Thank you so much to those that reviewed, followed and favourited, I love hearing from you guys so please keep it up! How are you enjoying the story so far?_**

 ** _A: Ooooh awesome! Again, I'm glad that you liked the realism. Here's the date, was it as good as you were hoping? Thanks so much for the review!_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Exceeding expectations is what I like to try to do :) thanks so much for the review!_**

 ** _If there's anything you guys want to say about anything, maybe you have questions that you want answered or things that you want cleared up, just let me know. Please leave me a review and I'll do my best to get back to you. If there's any questions you might have, feel free to PM me, I'm always up for a chat!_**


	12. Chapter 12

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 12:_**

Everyone was thoroughly soaked to the bone and when Ryan had pulled into her driveway, she had glanced into the backseat, taking in the sight of Kylie sitting there with her new teddy bear in her hands, a content look on her face. Jordan followed her gaze and smiled at Kylie before moving his head back around to the front, pausing to look at Ryan, who immediately shied away from his gaze.

"I have to get her in the bath and warmed up before I put her to bed." Ryan said softly, trying to keep her voice low enough so that Kylie didn't hear her. "But if you don't mind waiting for me to tuck her in, you're welcome to come in."

Jordan stared at her, studying the expression on her face. He could see that she was a little nervous but she had been the one to invite him in, he hadn't said a word about it; in fact, Jordan had been expecting to move the picnic basket back into his car, say his goodbye and leave her too her thing.

"I think I'd like that." Jordan replied, his voice equally as soft.

Ryan gave him a nod and made a move to get out of the car. Jordan followed her lead and headed around to the trunk, which Ryan had popped before beginning her routine on freeing Kylie from her car seat. The rain was still falling, although not as hard, and Jordan could see Ryan tucking the teddy bear into the pocket on her jeans before setting the hem of her t-shirt over its head to keep it as dry as possible.

He heard Kylie whine about her monkey and soon enough, Ryan had Kylie's stuffed monkey tucked inside Kylie's jacket, the little girl hugging the monkey tight and keeping it safe from the rain.

When Ryan stood up, she had Kylie clutched against her chest, and the little girl's head tucked under her chin. Jordan shut the car door for her and followed the two girls up to the front door, where Ryan made quick work of unlocking the house and stepping inside. Kylie let out a loud sigh and Ryan loosened her grip on her, setting her down on the floor.

Jordan set the picnic basket on the floor next to the little girl and then proceeded to help her free her monkey from inside her jacket. Ryan crouched down next to them too, took Kylie's jacket off of her and then aided the tot in getting her boots off. When Kylie was out of her outside clothes, she clutched her stuffed monkey against her chest, made a grabbing motion at Ryan's pocket and let out a low whimper.

"Use your words Ky." Ryan mumbled and Kylie stuck her bottom lip out.

"Mommy can I please have my new bear?" Kylie asked in a whine.

"Of course." Ryan responded and freed the little bear from her pocket, handing it to Kylie who hugged it against her chest along with her monkey. "Did you come up with a name for your bear yet?"

Kylie looked at her mom and then she turned and faced Jordan, who stood up as she looked at him. With a shake of her head, she answered the question.

"Did you need help naming it?" Jordan asked politely.

"It's a boy." Kylie pointed out and held the bear in the air for him to see.

"Well okay then, what about Teddy?" Jordan suggested and Ryan stifled a laugh, apparently unimpressed by his lack of creativity when it came to naming stuffed animals.

"I have a stuffie named Teddy already." Kylie protested with a huff.

Well apparently someone had been equally as creative as Jordan when it came to naming teddy bears, now if only he could somehow find out if it had been Ryan's idea or Kylie's.

"What about-"

"Hardy?" Ryan cut in and Kylie turned to face her mother, the bear still extended outwards. "Because of the heart?"

"Hardy?" Kylie mulled the name over and Jordan gave her an encouraging smile. "What do you think Jordie?"

"Hardy sounds like a good name to me, do you like it though because that's what really matters?" Jordan countered and watched the little girl as she contemplated the idea of naming her new bear Hardy.

"Mommy comes up with good names, she named me and I like my name, I like Hardy too."

"Then Hardy it is." Ryan chuckled and the two adults watched as Kylie hugged the bear roughly, letting out a giggle as she did so. "Come on munchkin, let's get you in the tub."

Kylie froze at her mother's suggestion and widened her eyes in shock. Before she said a word though, Kylie looked up and locked her eyes on Jordan, who merely smiled right back at her.

"But what about Jordie, is he going to leave?" Kylie asked, her voice laced with sadness.

"Well he's going to wait down here and we're going to have tea once you're in bed." Ryan explained. "You'll see him again soon though, we'll have to go on another picnic."

"Picnic, yay!" Kylie threw a smile on her face and hopped up and down on the spot. Ryan shook her head in amusement at her little girl before tossing a look in Jordan's direction.

"Make yourself comfortable, kitchen's that way," she waved her hand in the direction of the kitchen and then waved her hand towards a different door, "and the living room is that way. You can turn the TV on if you want."

"Sure, take your time." Jordan gave her a nod and flipped his wet shoes off before wandering towards the living room.

"Did you want a towel before I get this little munchkin in the tub?" Ryan called out after him, as though the towel were an afterthought.

"Uh, I think I'm okay. I'll just find a vent or something to stand in front of." Jordan laughed and Ryan watched carefully as he disappeared into the living room. Ryan flipped her own shoes off, bent down and hauled Kylie up onto her hip.

She lugged the little girl, as well as her two stuffed animals, up the stairs, stopping in Kylie's room to drop the extra passengers off on the bed. Ryan gave Kylie a little kiss on the forehead eliciting a giggle from the girl before the two of them headed for the bathroom.

Once they were inside, Ryan let Kylie loose and set her feet on the floor, where Kylie immediately set to work on attempting to get herself out of her clothes. She stripped her feet out of her socks and managed to get her pants to her ankles before letting out a cry of frustration. Ryan fought off the urge to laugh and helped her little girl get herself out of the rest of her clothes.

Before Kylie was lifted into the bathtub, Ryan turned the handles on the wall and waited until the water was warm. Kylie leaned over the edge of the tub and watched carefully as the water slowly filled up inside the tub.

"Mommy?" Kylie turned her head towards Ryan.

"Yeah Ky?"

"I like Jordie." Kylie said, her voice low and soft. "He's really nice and he's fun."

"Yeah, I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that he brought chocolate cheesecake." Ryan teased and gently squeezed Kylie's sides, the little girl breaking out into a fit of giggles.

Kylie collapsed to the floor and Ryan dropped down onto her knees, grabbing hold of her little girl and lifting her up. Kylie grinned at her mom and Ryan gingerly set her inside the bathtub, Kylie giggling at the feeling of the water rising up around her. She sat down and smacked her hands against the surface of the water, which was just high enough to cover her little legs.

"He's a good rain dancer." Kylie beamed up at Ryan and Ryan couldn't help but feel her heart pick up in pace the slightest little bit. The idea of spending more time with Jordan _and_ Kylie was exciting and maybe Kylie had a point. He was nice, to the both of them, and Kylie certainly had fun playing with him in the rain. Maybe Jordan Parrish wasn't all that bad for the two of them after all.

"He definitely _is_ a good rain dancer, I bet you loved it when he spun you around, didn't you Ky?"

"I did mommy." Kylie laughed and Ryan quickly grabbed hold of the baby shampoo from the corner of the bathtub. Kylie twisted her body to the side and faced Ryan, tensing as Ryan dribbled a bit of the shampoo onto her head.

Kylie's hands flew up to her head and she rubbed her palms all over her hair before Ryan joined her, massaging the shampoo into her little girl's scalp. Kylie relaxed at the feeling of Ryan's fingers moving in her hair, her own little hands falling away from her head.

"Well I'm glad you had fun." Ryan murmured and leaned her chin onto the edge of the tub.

Kylie reached up and grabbed the little bucket off the other side of the tub and handed it to Ryan, who had the beginning stages of a dreamy look on her face. Ryan took hold of the small bucket, filled it with the tub water and shielded Kylie's eyes with her hand before dumping the water on her head. She repeated the process a few more times and made sure there was no more soap in her hair before turning the water off and handing Kylie a tiny little bit of body wash.

Ryan made her way back to her feet and gathered Kylie's dirty clothes up, glancing over at her daughter every few seconds to make sure she was doing okay. Once her clothes were gathered up, she tossed them into the hamper next to the sink cabinet and turned to find that Kylie was now lying in the water, which was only an inch or two above her shoulders.

"Come on Ky, it's bed time." Ryan said, an amused tone to her voice. "You can cuddle with Hardy."

"Okay." Kylie replied and Ryan was grateful for the girl's compliance. It would seem that Kylie was in a rare mood and she was willing to do whatever Ryan asked of her. The idea of having to fight with Kylie while Jordan was downstairs within listening distance didn't sit well with her so she was definitely thankful for Kylie's unusually good mood, especially when it came to bath time and bed.

Ryan pulled the plug out of the tub and grabbed a towel before helping Kylie out of the bath, her feet sinking into the plush bathmat slightly. Kylie grabbed the edges of the towel and wrapped it around her shoulders, holding it tight against her body. Ryan ushered the little girl out of the bathroom and into her bedroom where Kylie climbed up and sat on the edge of her bed.

Pulling out a pair of clean pajamas, Ryan quickly helped her little girl into them, drying off her skin in the process. Once the pajamas were on, Ryan gently ruffled the towel against Kylie's head, towel drying her hair before handing Kylie the comb off the dresser.

"Can you do it mommy?" Kylie asked and Ryan could hear the tiredness in her voice.

"Of course." Ryan nodded and took the comb once Kylie offered it to her. She carefully began running the teeth through Kylie's hair, untangling the knots without much fuss. Once she was done, she set the comb on the dresser, pulled the corner of Kylie's blankets down and watched as she scampered into her bed.

Without words exchanged between them, Ryan handed Kylie the monkey and her new teddy bear before pulling the blankets up to her chin. Kylie let out a yawn and Ryan bent over her, kissing her on the forehead.

"Night mommy." Kylie sighed and rolled onto her side, her eyes fluttered shut before opening once more. "Don't forget to kiss Jordie when he leaves."

"Why would I kiss him?"

"You kiss grampy when he leaves." Kylie pointed out and Ryan let out a chuckle.

"Okay munchkin. Sleep tight okay."

"Mmkay." Kylie mumbled and Ryan pressed a gentle kiss against Kylie's forehead. She ran her hand down Kylie's back and slipped out of her little girl's bedroom, flipping the light off as she went. She tugged the door shut behind her and sucked in a deep breath.

Yes, this was one of the things she enjoyed most about being a mom, tucking in her little girl was always a joy, especially when she did it without putting up much of a fight. Pushing herself away from Kylie's door, Ryan made her way towards the stairs, rushing down them and heading right for the living room.

Jordan was sitting on the couch looking out the window nearby. Ryan cleared her throat, wandered into the room and sat down next to him, leaving a gap between their bodies. Jordan smiled at her and Ryan smiled right back.

"Thank you for the wonderful picnic." Ryan whispered.

"It was my pleasure. Kylie's the sweetest." Jordan nodded.

"Sometimes." Ryan snorted. "She had fun though, she even said she liked you."

Jordan smirked at her and shook his head, "most people like me."

"I bet." Ryan glanced down and took in a breath before looking back up and meeting Jordan's gaze. "Now all we have to do is hope it doesn't rain next time we decide to have a picnic."

Jordan nodded his agreement and took a look around the room. He had already taken it all in while he waited for Ryan to tuck Kylie in and he had noticed that there were very few photos containing the man who had fathered Kylie.

"Where'd your dad go anyways?" Jordan asked, deciding that he'd wait a little while before outright asking her why there weren't any pictures of Cole.

"He has some friends out of state, they get together every so often." Ryan answered with a shrug. "He doesn't have that many friends here."

"But he's got you and Kylie."

"Yeah." Ryan sighed. "He knows the sheriff so I mean, he has a few people that he can do things with."

"He knows the sheriff?" Jordan's eyes widened in surprise, an amused look took over on his face.

"Yeah, they used to be closer though, before his wife died. I used to babysit Stiles." Ryan said with a smile.

"That sounds rough, if Stiles was anything like he is now, I bet he gave you a run for your money." Jordan teased and Ryan let out a laugh. "He seems like a decent person though."

"He was generally behaved when I was watching him, it was when him and his friend Scott were together that I had trouble keeping up with them. My god, those two could always come up with some strange ideas."

Jordan watched as Ryan relaxed in the couch. She seemed to be enjoying her little trip down memory lane, now all Jordan had to do was figure out how to slip Cole into the conversation. If he could get a handle on what was going on in Ryan's head when it came to her late husband, maybe he could figure out how to crack her. She seemed interested in him but there was a slight resistance to getting to know him better. Jordan couldn't entirely blame her, she _had_ just lost her husband and he couldn't even begin to imagine how hard it was on her, or Kylie for that matter.

"Did you babysit anyone else that I might know?" Jordan questioned with a teasing smile.

Ryan considered his question and paused for a few seconds before opening her mouth to answer, "I didn't babysit anyone else really that you'd know, I might've spent a night or two at the Hale house when I was in high school though."

"The Hale House? You mean that old, dilapidated house in the middle of the preserve?"

"Yeah, it didn't look like that when I was there." Ryan pointed out. "It was a really nice place back in the day."

"I bet, so, why were you there?" Jordan inquired and kept his eyes locked on Ryan.

"Derek and I had a few classes together back in high school and every now and then we'd end up as partners for projects. Classic me, I'd be busy and we'd end up leaving the whole thing to the last minute. Derek was pretty good about having to pull all-nighters though." Ryan explained. "Him and Cole used to compete against each other all the time."

"Really?"

"Yeah, Cole wold get insanely jealous that Derek was my partner for projects, obviously nothing ever happened between me and Derek but I'd like to think he and I were decent enough friends." Ryan shrugged. "Then the Hale fire happened and I never really saw much of Derek after that. I know he's back in town now but I don't know, I guess we sort of fell apart."

"Understandable." Jordan bowed his head. "I can't imagine working nights leaves a lot of time to rekindle old friendships."

Ryan shook her head no and scooted closer to him, just enough so that her knee brushed against his. Jordan turned to face her and he watched carefully, taking in the sight of her. She seemed to be confused, maybe she wasn't entirely sure what she wanted to say next, maybe she was trying to figure out how to tell Jordan she wasn't interested, maybe she was trying to hint to him that she wanted him to leave.

"Look, I think I need to lay some things out there for you." Ryan sighed and Jordan could sense how nervous she was.

"Okay."

"This whole picnic thing was really fun and I had a really nice time but you have to know that whatever happens from here on out, I have to put Kylie first."

"I get that." Jordan said, lowering his voice in an attempt to keep the conversation on track, he didn't want her to get scared of whatever was happening between them.

"She'll always be my priority and I don't want this to end right now but you have to understand that if things start to go south, I'll be keeping Kylie's best interest in mind."

Jordan nodded his understanding, "I wouldn't expect anything less."

"Okay well, you have to bear with me too, you're the first guy that I've hung out with since Cole passed away, and it's slightly terrifying for me."

Jordan lifted his hand up and offered it to her. Ryan looked at his palm and hesitantly set her hand in his, their fingers intertwining together.

"I'm not going to do anything you don't want me to do." Jordan whispered. "We can take this as fast or as slow as you want and if you just want to be friends, now or in the future, all you have to do is say the word."

Ryan shifted on the couch and sidled up next to him, Jordan slipping an arm around her shoulders and smiling as she curled up against him. Ryan shut her eyes for a few seconds and sucked in a breath before opening her eyes back up and tilting her head back.

"I like spending time with you." She said.

"I like spending time with you too."

"Kylie had fun, she said you were a good rain dancer." Ryan smiled, recalling how Kylie spoke about their picnic. Yes the little girl had a grand old time and that was important to Ryan. If Kylie could accept Jordan and have fun with the man, then he definitely deserved a chance. "I think you and I should go out, alone."

Jordan chuckled at her and relaxed his own head so that his cheek was against her temple. Ryan brought her knees up and tucked them under her bum, getting more comfortable on the couch with him.

"I'm all for that." Jordan stated.

"Okay. Then sometime after my dad gets back, I'll see if he can watch Kylie and you and I can go out, on a real date."

"Sounds good."

"Want to know what else Kylie said?" Ryan asked in a low tone and tried to hide her smile.

"Only if it was something good." Jordan jeered and Ryan let the smile take over.

"I'm supposed to kiss you when you leave." Ryan giggled and Jordan's jaw dropped open. He leaned down and met her gaze, Ryan's cheeks turning a slightly darker shade of pink than normal.

"Well then I guess I should get going then."

"Oh no, not so fast. She just said I had to kiss you when you leave, I'm sure she wouldn't be opposed to me kissing you now too." Ryan grinned.

Jordan smiled right back at her and waited for her to make her move. When she straightened up, she leaned towards him, set her hand on his shoulder and closed the distance between them, pressing her lips against his. Jordan relaxed against her and held on, deepening the kiss. Ryan never let go and it wasn't until a few seconds had passed that either of them parted, Ryan sinking back into the couch and leaning against his side with a contented sigh.

"Was that okay?" Jordan asked in a tone that was barely louder than a whisper.

"It was." She nodded. "It was good."

"And you'd be willing to do it again?" Jordan pressed, hoping that Ryan wasn't about to back down now.

"I think so." She murmured and gripped his hand tighter. She held both hands against her chest and let out a breath. "You're a pretty good kisser."

"You're not so bad yourself."

"Well thanks."

A blanket of silence fell over them and Ryan let her mind drift. She thought of Cole and their relationship, and then Kylie's face entered her mind. As much as she would always love Cole, she knew that her father had been right. Ryan deserved to be happy with someone else, she deserved the opportunity to _love_ someone else, even if it terrified her.

"You okay?" Jordan broke in, pulling Ryan out of her own head.

"Yeah, just thinking." Ryan sighed.

"About what?"

"Uh, well, Cole. But not in the way that you're probably thinking."

"I wasn't thinking anything." Jordan remarked and pressed a gentle kiss against the top of her head. "But if you want to explain it anyways, I'm all ears."

"I just don't want anyone to get the wrong idea."

"And what wrong idea is that?"

"That I'm trying to replace him." Ryan said softly.

"I know that." Jordan breathed the words out. "If anything, I think you're trying to forget him."

Ryan stiffened in his hold but didn't move. She felt her heart pick up and wondered if what he said was true. She _had_ hidden away all of the pictures of him, except for the one in Kylie's room of course. She slept on the couch because the bedroom reminded her of him and it was too painful, okay, maybe Jordan had a point.

"I sleep on the couch." Ryan muttered and Jordan let out a laugh at her.

"You sleep on the couch, this couch, the couch that we are sitting on? Why?"

"The bedroom just reminds me that he's gone." She shrugged, trying to play it off as no big deal when in all reality Ryan wasn't sure if she'd ever be comfortable going back into her room.

"So you sleep on the couch to avoid dealing with the pain? Is that the same reason you've gotten rid of all the pictures of Cole too?"

Ryan dropped her head down and looked at the edge of the couch.

"Sounds about right."

Jordan pressed another kiss to the top of her head and Ryan relaxed against him. Apparently she wasn't as hard to read as she initially believed, at least not when it came to Jordan. The more she spent time with him, the more she was starting to feel like he might be exactly what she needed.

The idea of going on more picnics with him and Kylie was exciting. The prospect of dinner alone with him was riveting, things were starting to look up for Ryan and maybe Jordan could finally be the person to make her believe it was okay to be happy with someone who wasn't Cole.

"So you don't think I'm crazy?" Ryan asked, her voice barely audible.

"I think you're grieving." Jordan countered. "And even if you slept curled up in the bathtub, I wouldn't judge you, not for a second."

Ryan let out a sigh and shifted against him, his hold tightening on her the slightest little bit. Without another word shared between them, Ryan felt the sadness of losing Cole slip away, at least for the time being.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _The aftermath of their picnic and some kisses! Hope you all enjoyed that! Do you think that Ryan and Jordan make a good pair? Is there something you want to see more of? Anything you want to happen in the future, or even in season 5?_**

 ** _Thank you so much to those that reviewed, followed and favourited, I love hearing from you guys so please keep it up! How are you enjoying the story so far?_**

 ** _A: Why thank you so much for the review, it certainly made me smile. I'm so glad that you liked the picnic and hey, how about what happened after?_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: I think if he had to deal with small children on the show, we might get to see some of his personality instead of the dull person that he is! Thank you so much for the review!_**

 ** _BrightestWitchofYourAge: Aww maybe one day he'll be part of their family! Thank you so much for the review, I'm so glad that you enjoyed it!_**

 ** _If there's anything you guys want to say about anything, maybe you have questions that you want answered or things that you want cleared up, just let me know. Please leave me a review and I'll do my best to get back to you. If there's any questions you might have, feel free to PM me, I'm always up for a chat!_**


	13. Chapter 13

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 13:_**

Jordan had gotten right back into the swing of things the following day. While his euphoria at how smooth the picnic had gone, even in spite of the rain, carried on well into the next morning, he knew that there wasn't anything that would bring him down from his high.

The day at the station was also going along rather smoothly and even though he hadn't heard from Ryan since leaving her house late the night before, he wasn't concerned. He knew that she was a little afraid of their potential relationship and he understood why. So long as she contacted him before the sun went down, then he'd be fine, and even if she didn't, he had fully intended to text her before he left to head home at the same time as the sun was expected to rise.

For now though, he was going to focus on his job, which seemed to be extra important today as the very sheriff himself seemed a little out of it. The older man had sauntered in, clearly tired and perturbed by something outside of station. Apparently most of the other deputies had understood exactly what his mood meant and that was to stay clear of the sheriff unless absolutely necessary.

Well Jordan wasn't about to just sit around and watch the older man spiral deeper and deeper into whatever it was he was dealing with, no, he was going to march into the sheriff's office and tell the man that he should go home and get some rest while there was still a lull in police work.

With that plan in mind, Jordan stood up from his desk and strode across the room, pausing only to catch the unsure look tossed at him from deputy Haigh. With a smirk in response, Jordan continued onward and stepped up to the door of sheriff's office, knocking twice before pushing the door open and heading inside.

He took in the sight of the sheriff, who had his back to the door and his head resting on his fist, before opening his mouth.

"Go home, Sheriff. If anything comes up about Stiles, you know I'd call you in a second." Jordan stated and maintained his position in the doorframe. He wanted to get his point across but he also didn't want to barge into the man's office to a point where it might get him in hot water.

"I'm not going anywhere." The sheriff argued although there was very little conviction in his voice.

"Well, neither am I since my shift doesn't end until dawn." Jordan pointed out with a slight huff of amusement. Oh yes, there was nothing like the night shift and if it was anything like the last few, he knew he was in for a hell of a time. "You need a coffee?"

"Aw, you're a good guy, Parrish. That's what they all said at your previous station, though no one could tell me exactly why you left." The sheriff clearly had a few other things on his mind in addition to his son going missing yet again. Jordan straightened up and prepared himself for the conversation he knew was about to come his way.

"Maybe I needed a change." He paused and thought about what he was going to say. "I don't really know. I guess I kind of felt drawn here and I knew there were openings."

"Do you know why there were openings?" The sheriff asked, seemingly accepting his answer.

Oh boy did he know why there were openings. Ryan Sloane was a constant reminder of why there had been so many jobs at the station that required people to fill them, so many deputy positions. The massacre inside the building had worried him slightly but he figured that the chances of yet another massacre happening, in the exact same building, were slim.

"The statistics don't worry me." Jordan countered, blatantly ignoring the question. If he was truly worried about the statistics, he would've stayed exactly where he had been before he had come to Beacon Hills, which would've meant he would never have met Ryan. Maybe a little bit of danger was worth it, especially if things continued to go as smoothly as they had at their picnic.

"They worry me." The sheriff replied with a sad smile.

"Well, then maybe you need to get some sleep. Go home, Sheriff." Jordan stated and took one last look at his worn out superior before turning his back to the man and walking away from his office.

He hadn't lied when he said the statistics didn't worry him but he didn't want to kid himself. They bothered him a little bit but not because he was afraid of what might happen to him now that he was a part of the seemingly doomed Beacon Hills Deputies.

Jordan often wondered how many deputies the sheriff had lost that he had been really close with. Was Cole one of his best deputies? Did the sheriff feel saddened the most by his passing or were there other people who had died in the station that night that came to the sheriff's mind first when the tragedy was mentioned?

Jordan had seen firsthand how broken the situation could leave people. Yes, as much as he liked Ryan, he knew that there were issues she was dealing with that he couldn't even begin to understand. She had confessed to him that she no longer slept in her bedroom, the very bedroom that she used to share with Cole. The mental picture of her curled up on the couch didn't sit well with him but he was more concerned about Ryan's wellbeing. In his mind, people deserved to sleep in beds, which were much better suited to sleeping than couches.

Heading back to his desk, he figured that it wasn't worth getting himself all worked up over. Ryan was a grown woman, she was allowed to do whatever she wanted, even if it meant forfeiting a perfectly good bed to sleep in. He knew she wasn't easily swayed, not by anyone except maybe Kylie or Ken, so Jordan wasn't going to get too concerned about it, he'd merely try his best to help her realize that just because Cole was gone, didn't mean she had to give up certain things; like her bed or pictures of him.

As Jordan took a seat behind his desk, he glanced back into the sheriff's office and let himself smile at the appearance of the very kid they had been talking about. Stiles Stilinski was in the middle of an embrace with his father, the familiar Scott McCall was right there with them, watching on just like Jordan.

There was a certain sense of relief at knowing the teenagers were alive and okay, but that didn't meant that they were all out of the woods just yet. There was still an investigation going on and whether or not the Stilinski boy was in the sheriff's sight, that didn't mean the case was closed.

Pulling his phone out of his pocket, Jordan looked at the screen and furrowed his eyebrows at the text message flashing there. Ryan had texted him and for that fact alone he was relieved, but he hadn't been expecting her too, in fact, he figured that she'd be busy getting ready to head back to work for the night, getting Kylie organized and making sure everything was taken care of before she left the house.

Jordan read the text message in his head and broke out into a smile.

'Come over for breakfast tomorrow morning.'

Oh yes, Ryan was starting to warm up to him all right. She had gone as far as to invite him over for breakfast, that had to mean something and Jordan wasn't about to pass up on the opportunity. He texted her back accepting her invitation and when she sent him a smiley face in response, Jordan felt himself feeling happier than the little emoji looked.

His moment of peace was quickly interrupted when the sheriff came out of his office, the two teenagers trailing behind him, and headed right for Jordan, who made impeccable timing of putting his cell phone away.

The three of them came to a stop in front of Jordan's desk and he looked up at them, waiting for his instructions.

"We need to know the whereabouts of someone named Meredith, though currently we're unsure of her last name." The sheriff commanded and Jordan nodded his understanding. He brought up the program on the computer with all the files and typed out her name, pulling up a list of Merediths living in Beacon Hills. "She should be at Eichen House."

Jordan, once again, nodded his understanding and picked up the phone. He dialed the number to Eichen House and waited for someone on the other end to answer, while at the same time, he typed in Eichen House into the computer, narrowing his files down from quite a few, to not very many at all, but there was still more than just one, which proved to be problematic for him.

The sheriff and the two teens wandered away from him, leaving him to his business, and moved right back into the sheriff's office, the three of them coming to a stop and standing in front of a cork board just across the room.

"Hello, Eichen House, how may I help you?" A polite voice answered the phone and Jordan fought off the urge to smile at how nice the lady sounded. He quickly reminded himself that he was dealing with the local Insane Asylum.

"I'm looking for some information on one of your residents." Jordan said, trying to sound equally as polite as the woman. After all, he knew he could get further if he was sweet as opposed to demanding. 'You catch more flies with honey than you do vinegar' flashed through his mind and he knew there weren't any words that were truer at that very minute.

"Right and who, may I ask, am I speaking with?"

"Deputy Parrish of the Beacon Hills Sheriff's department, I can give you my badge number if that helps."

The woman let out a sigh and Jordan listened carefully as he heard typing sounds. He knew at that second that she had records just like his and she was checking out his credentials.

"And which resident are you looking for information on?" She came back on the line, Jordan figured she had gotten all she could from him and apparently his name checked out.

"Meredith."

"Do you have a last name?"

"No, that's part of why I'm calling, I was hoping you could help me. All we know for sure is that her first name is Meredith and we believe she's located within your facility."

"Right, well, hold on for a few seconds." The lady mumbled and Jordan did just that. He waited patiently for a few seconds, listening, yet again, as the woman typed on her keyboard. He could picture her staring at the screen, trying to find the information that Jordan had requested and he could even picture her annoyed scowl. Yes, he knew, just from her tone, that she wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of helping a so called deputy over the phone. "Oh yes, here, we currently have a Meredith Walker residing with us."

"Meredith Walker, okay, and what can you tell me about her?"

"Well that's interesting Deputy, according to her file, she's been pretty problematic lately." The woman stated and Jordan cocked his head to the side, wondering what, specifically, counted as 'problematic', especially within the walls of an insane asylum.

"Define 'problematic' for me, if you don't mind?"

"Behavioural issues for the most part. She started screaming a little while ago and would not stop." The lady explained and Jordan found himself nodding that he understood, forgetting for a second that the woman couldn't actually see him.

"Right, but she's still contained?"

"Yes, of course, we moved her into the closed unit so that she wouldn't disturb the other residents. Is there anything further you need Deputy Parrish?"

Jordan considered the woman's offer but knew by her tone that she was done speaking with him. Hoping that he could provide the sheriff with enough information, Jordan decided that he would keep any other questions to himself.

"No ma'am, that's all. Thank you for your cooperation." Jordan said formally and once the woman said her curt goodbye, Jordan stood up and set the phone back down, effectively hanging up on her.

Stepping around his desk, he headed right for where the sheriff and the two boys were standing inside the other room, the sheriff looking at him as he approached, apparently ready for whatever it was that Parrish had to say.

"Sheriff, Meredith Walker." Jordan announced and grabbed hold of the doorframe, hanging his upper body into the room while remaining just outside.

"She's still there?" The sheriff asked right back.

"Yeah, but they moved her to the closed unit." Jordan stated.

"Why?" Stiles Stilinski spoke up and Jordan looked at him, slightly unsure of whether or not he was supposed to answer to the boy or just the sheriff. Deciding that if the teenager was in the office with the sheriff and the sheriff was openly discussing the case in front of him, it was okay to answer. Jordan then locked his eyes on Stiles and opened his mouth to respond.

"They said behavioral issues." Jordan let out a tiny little sigh.

"What kind of behavioural issues?" Stiles asked another question and Jordan looked from Stiles to the sheriff.

"She wouldn't stop screaming."

Jordan moved out of the way just in time to let the sheriff pass by, the two teenagers trailing along behind him. Without saying another word, Jordan headed back to his desk and merely watched as the three of them disappeared out of the room.

He hoped they knew what they were doing, but until they came back, or something else came up, Jordan knew what he had to do, he had to man his desk and take care of the office. The first thing he did when he sat down was pull up Meredith Walker's file on his computer and looked at the picture of her.

Her eyes were big and wide and Jordan swore that she looked utterly terrified, even if it wasn't for her crazy, frizzy hair that seemed to stand straight up on her head. If the current investigation hinged on what this girl had to say, boy were they in for a tough go; his gut was telling him not to trust a single word that came out of Meredith Walker's mouth, which is precisely what he was going to do. For now though, he'd focus on something he could trust: his gut reaction when it came to Ryan Sloane.

Breakfast could not come soon enough.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

The rest of the night had gone by without much incident, in fact, the sheriff hadn't even come back, not until an hour before Jordan's shift was over. He had waved to the sheriff as he was leaving the station, just as the sun was coming up, and he headed off without anyone trying to stop him.

When Jordan pulled into Ryan's driveway, he smiled at the sight of Ryan's car, as well as Ken's familiar vehicle too. So maybe breakfast wasn't _just_ breakfast between the three of them, maybe this was Ryan's way of subtly introducing Jordan to her father. Jordan parked his cruiser and hopped out, heading up to the front step and knocking on the door.

Seconds later Ken and Kylie appeared behind the door and the little girl screamed in delight, immediately wrapping her arms around Jordan's knees. Ken chuckled at the sight and gently set his hand on Kylie's shoulder, prying her away from Jordan's legs. Kylie reached out for him but Ken was quick to lift her up off her feet before handing her to Jordan, who took hold of her and felt his heart melting as she wrapped her arms around his neck now instead of his legs.

"Jordie, you came back!" She squealed and buried her face into his shoulder, hugging him tight. Jordan threw Ken a smile and stepped over the threshold as soon as the older man waved him in.

"Of course I did, you're my little buddy, how could I forget about you?" Jordan countered and Kylie loosened her hold on him, leaning back just enough so that she could see his face. The look of sheer wonder had Jordan holding back a chuckle.

"I'm _your_ little buddy? Really?" Kylie's voice was soft and filled with awe.

"Sure, I mean, if you want to be?"

"I do, I do want to be, please!" Kylie pleaded and Ken silently motioned for Jordan to follow him. Jordan held on to Kylie as he walked behind Ryan's father, the three of them entering the kitchen and Jordan's eyes instantly landed on Ryan, who was still wearing her scrubs as she manned a frying pan at the stove.

"Well then you can certainly be my little buddy. Come on, let's get you into your chair and I'll sit beside you, if that's okay?" Jordan offered and Kylie nodded her head yes. She pointed her little fingers in the direction of a chair with a booster seat on it and Jordan headed right for it, carefully setting her down in it before dropping down into the chair next to her.

"Hey Jordan." Ryan called out from her place at the stove. Jordan looked over at her and smiled, watching as she flipped a pancake in the pan. "Kylie wanted chocolate chip pancakes, I can make yours with whatever you want though."

"Uh no that's fine, chocolate chip sounds good to me." Jordan nodded and looked down at Kylie, winking at her, which elicited a giggle from the little girl.

"You have to strap me in Jordie." Kylie pointed out and grabbed two straps, one with a buckle on it and the other with the part that clicked into the buckle. Jordan took hold of the straps and secured it around the little girl's waist before giving her a gentle pat on the head.

"Now you can't fall out." Jordan remarked and Kylie stuck her tongue out at him before breaking out into a fit of giggles.

"Are you staying for lunch and dinner too?" Kylie asked, her eyes wide with curiosity and excitement.

"Munchkin, why don't we get through breakfast first, plus you're supposed to go to the babysitter's today." Ryan piped up and set the pancakes that she was working on onto a little plate before stepping over to the table and setting it down in front of Kylie. "Careful Ky, they're still hot so let them cool down a bit first."

"Okay." Kylie let out a little whine but turned her attention right back to Jordan. "Can you cut them into long pieces please Jordie?"

Ken was quick to offer Jordan a butter knife, which he then used to cut the pancakes into strips, or long pieces in the world of Kylie. When he was finished, he looked to Kylie for approval and she gave him a thumbs up.

"So Deputy, I hear you took my girls on a picnic while I was gone." Ken said, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen over the kitchen.

"I did sir." Jordan nodded his head. "We had fun."

"I'm glad to hear that and please, call me Ken."

"That's my grampy." Kylie added and grabbed hold of one of the strips of pancake. Jordan watched, slightly concerned that it might still be too hot, but when Kylie took a big bite and chewed it without incident, he figured it was nice and cool.

"Kylie was telling me about how you picked out awesome food and a delectable chocolate cheesecake. Don't ask me where the girl ever would've discovered what chocolate cheesecake tasted like but she absolutely loves it." Ken said with a proud smile, looking at Kylie who was grinning right back at him.

Jordan let out a slight laugh and stole a quick look at Ryan, who tossed him a sly smile in response. Apparently she wasn't the only one who liked chocolate cheesecake, like mother, like daughter.

"Then it started raining so Jordie and me spun and fell in the mud!" Kylie exclaimed and shoved the remaining strip of pancake into her mouth, chewing loudly. "I got wet and had to have a bath!"

"You certainly did." Ryan chuckled along with her now and walked over with another plate of pancakes, this time she set it in front of Jordan.

"Oh you can give it to your dad, I can wait." Jordan lifted his hand up and went to slide the plate across the table, but Ryan snorted at him.

"Dad doesn't eat pancakes, he's already had his eggs and bacon." Ryan explained with an amused smile.

"Right." Jordan nodded his understanding and Ken flashed him a smile.

"Mine are already cooked but I like them super cold." Ryan grinned and looked at Kylie who scrunched her nose up at the admission.

"Mommy's weird, isn't she Jordie?" Kylie turned her attention to Jordan and he gave her a nod, agreeing with her that Ryan was a little weird. The kid erupted in a fit of giggles and Jordan couldn't help but laugh along with her.

Ryan grabbed her plate and moseyed on over to the table, dropping down and sitting in the chair next to Jordan, handing him a fork and knife of his own. Ken stood up and headed over to a coffee maker, grabbing a mug out of the cupboard above and filling it up with the dark brown, almost black coloured liquid. He carried it across the kitchen and set the mug down in front of Ryan.

"Did you want coffee or orange juice?" Ken asked and Jordan looked over at Kylie who seemed to know exactly what Jordan wanted her to do.

"Can he have juice, like me?" Kylie asked and Jordan gave her an encouraging nod. Yes, this little girl was definitely growing on him, in fact, he already liked her and it was clear that she liked him too, which just left Ken as the only person in the room that Jordan had to win over.

"Of course." Ken nodded with a polite smile and grabbed a glass from the same cupboard as the mugs. He then moved to the fridge and pulled it open, nabbing the carton of orange juice from the shelf inside and setting both the juice and glass on the table.

Ryan reached out and took the carton in her hand before shaking it and popping the top off. Pouring the orange liquid into the glass, she filled it to within a half inch of the top rim before motioning for Kylie's sippy cup. Jordan passed her the kid's cup and she filled it up too, offering the sippy cup to Kylie and handing Jordan the glass.

"Thank you." Jordan nodded his appreciation and Kylie grabbed her cup, lifting it up and taking a swing.

"Yeah mommy, what he said."

Ryan laughed at her little girl and relaxed into her chair. She put the top back on the juice, set it on the table and took her knife and fork in her hands. After she had cut up her pancakes, she set the utensils down, stole another look at Jordan, who was busy chatting it up with Kylie, and then flashed a smile in her father's direction.

Ken nodded his head at her, silently giving Ryan the approval she had been seeking and that was all there was too it. If Ken approved of Jordan, then Ryan was going to go for it.

When her palm came to rest on Jordan's knee, he froze and turned to look at her but she merely smiled at him, her cheeks turning the adorable pink colour that he was starting to like. Within seconds, he brought his own hand down and slipped his fingers between hers before focusing right back on Kylie.

As she listened to Kylie yammer on and on about just anything and everything, Ryan ate her breakfast with a smile on her face. She kept hold of Jordan's hand and hoped that one day, this could be what every morning was like.

Until that day arrived though, she'd settle for the here and now. There was no feeling of sadness at the loss of Cole, not with Jordan around; there wasn't any stress over what was going to happen to her and Kylie in the future, no, Ryan was taking it one step at a time.

Jordan Parrish wasn't going to be getting away too easily, not if she had anything to say about it.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Well how about that, a nice breakfast with the family for Jordan Parrish. I'd love to hear what you guys are thinking, anything you might want to see happen, things like that._**

 ** _Thank you so much to those that reviewed, followed and favourited, I love hearing from you guys so please keep it up! How are you enjoying the story so far?_**

 ** _A: Oh, the introduction to the supernatural...well, I don't want to give too much away but it certainly effects Ryan quite a bit. I appreciate your thoughts and questions and thank you so much for the review!_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Ryan knowing Derek definitely leaves her with the opportunity to run into him in the story. I think he might show up sooner or later ;) thanks so much for the review_**

 ** _BrightestWitchofYourAge: Woohoo review! thank you so much and I hope you enjoyed this installment as well_**

 ** _If there's anything you guys want to say about anything, maybe you have questions that you want answered or things that you want cleared up, just let me know. Please leave me a review and I'll do my best to get back to you. If there's any questions you might have, feel free to PM me, I'm always up for a chat!_**


	14. Chapter 14

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 14:_**

The sheriff had called him in on an emergency and Jordan had left Ryan's house reluctantly. She had walked him to the front door and once they were away from prying eyes, she stepped closer to him and gently pressed her lips against his, reminding him that she thought of him as more than just a simple friend.

The kiss had been nice and Jordan found himself wanting to do it over and over again but time wasn't on his side that morning. Ryan was definitely someone he wanted to spend more time with and he could tell, by the coy smile she gave him as he walked out the door, that she felt the same. Maybe she could be someone that he'd like to spend the rest of his life with and if he ever helped the rest of the deputies close the case on the missing sheriff's son, then maybe he could spend more time getting to know Ryan Sloane.

Stepping in the station, Jordan knew that whatever had happened while he was gone wasn't going to be easy to deal with. As soon as his eyes locked on the teenagers sitting in the sheriff's office, he prepared himself for the worst.

Had something happened to Stiles? Was the case going to become a homicide or were the teenagers here because of something else that happened?

No matter what the reason for their presence, Jordan set his jacket on the back of his chair and cautiously stepped inside.

He made a note that the sheriff was sitting on the bench next to Isaac Lahey, who looked way worse for wear than a typical teenager should. The sheriff glanced up at Jordan and waved him out into the rest of the office, where Jordan followed his lead. He leaned against the front edge of his desk and looked right at the sheriff, waiting for the older man to explain to him what was going on.

"Allison Argent is in a body bag." The sheriff stated solemnly and Jordan bowed his head slightly, not wanting to open his mouth and say the wrong thing. "McCall in there is claiming that they were attacked and honestly Parrish, I don't know if I can handle asking them anymore questions. I know these kids, I just…it's too personal."

"I can take a crack at it." Jordan said softly, hoping he could follow through on his statement. He knew how hard it had to be for the sheriff to interrogate grieving teenagers but he knew these kids and if he was honest with himself, Jordan wasn't entirely sure he had it in him either.

"I think that's the best right now." The sheriff nodded his head and sucked in a shaky breath, trying to regain some of his professional composure.

It was clear to Jordan that he was trying desperately to keep it together. First his son had gone missing and now a teenager was dead, a teenager that was friends with Stiles. Jordan studied the sheriff's saddened expression and wondered how much more bad luck the man could deal with.

Letting out a sigh, Jordan brushed past the man and walked into his office, the sheriff following his lead and taking his spot back on the bench next to Isaac. Jordan flipped a chair around and lowered himself down into it before looking at the teenagers and taking in their anguished expressions. He picked up the notepad from the sheriff's desk that had notes already written down in it by the sheriff's hand: point form statements about what the teenagers had witnessed in regards to Allison Argent's death. Jordan then nabbed a pen off the sheriff's desk too and took a few seconds to go over what the teens had given to the sheriff already.

After a lengthy pause, Jordan brought his attention towards the witnesses, who were just barely hanging on, and tried to come up with the best way to handle what was about to go down. He decided that the most beneficial way to get to the bottom of the entire situation was to treat it like any other day. He'd try to keep his tone gentle and understanding but at the same time, he wouldn't sugar-coat it if he didn't have to.

"Can you remember anything else?" Jordan hesitated and waited for a response. He looked back down at the pad and poised his pen after the last note. When no one responded, he peered back up at the teenagers and zeroed in on Isaac Lahey, who was focused on the floor. "Anything else? Isaac?"

Isaac Lahey seemed skittish, nervous even but Jordan wasn't concerned about the reason why. He knew it would be hard for anyone to lose a friend but especially someone so young. Allison Argent was too young to die, she wasn't supposed to have been gone so soon and Jordan knew that anyone who had been involved in her life was going to be grieving harder than he could ever imagine.

"I'm sorry." Isaac breathed the words out and the sheriff lifted his hand up, resting it on the back of Isaac's shoulder in a gesture of comfort. "It just happened so fast."

The sheriff looked up and met Jordan's eyes, hoping that something valuable might have come from their meeting. Jordan shook his head no and glanced back at Isaac, who had yet to tear his eyes away from the floor. They weren't going to be getting anything more, not that the teens could even give them anything useful, and with that, Jordan slowly stood up and motioned for the sheriff to follow his lead.

The older man waved him off though and Jordan knew that he was going to stay in the room for a few seconds longer just so he could let the teenagers know that everything was going to be all right, or at least as all right as it could be considering they had just lost one of their good friends.

It was a blatant lie but Jordan knew that sometimes it was all someone needed to hear so that they felt even the slightest bit less upset over what had happened.

He gave the man a nod of understanding and moseyed on out of the office, taking the notepad with him. He was going to use his time wisely and input the hand written notes into the system, typing them onto the computer before creating a new case file for Allison Argent's death.

Jordan started up his computer, took a seat at his desk and let out a frustrated sigh. There was something strange about the crimes committed in Beacon Hills, something that bothered him about all the mysterious deaths and if he could only figure out what it was, maybe he could relax a little bit, maybe he could put a stop to all the sadness, all the grieving. Until then though, he'd just have to keep going, he'd have to take things one step at a time and hope that one day there wouldn't be so many strange and unexplainable crimes.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Jordan had spent the rest of the day trying to piece something together from the statements that the teenagers had given to the sheriff. Isaac Lahey and Scott McCall had held it together according to the sheriff himself and Jordan could only begin to imagine the amount of heartache that the two of them would be suffering from in the near future. If it were Jordan, well, he wouldn't know if he'd be able to keep himself together at all.

His mind had drifted to Ryan a lot since he had arrived back at the station and maybe he was thinking about things too seriously for where their relationship was, if they even had a relationship at all.

He knew they were friends and they had kissed more than just a few times, but there had been nothing more than that. He also knew that Kylie simply adored him and that was a plus in Ryan's eyes, but did that mean that Jordan and Ryan were a thing, that they were official?

Cole had come up in a few of their conversations and Jordan couldn't help but feel saddened by how deeply the man's death had affected Ryan. The thought of little Kylie having to grow up without her biological father broke his heart and even if he stepped up and tried to partake in the fatherly role, was that something that Ryan would even want? Was she thinking about him as much as he was thinking about her?

Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he pulled up her number and stared at the screen. Was this something he could ask via a text message, was finding out if they were more than friends something that was okay to do over the phone? Letting out a frustrated sigh, Jordan set his phone on the desk and leaned his head back, his eyes landing on the ceiling above him.

Ryan and him had been on one date, and it was hardly a date at all. Kylie had been there, it had been a decent picnic but then the rain had come. Did Ryan know that he considered the whole thing a date and if she didn't know, did _she_ consider it a date or was it just an outing in her eyes?

He grabbed his phone one more time and brought up a blank text message. His mind was full of uncertainties but he found that his fingers knew exactly what to say. Once he had the text message written out, he took in a deep breath, read it over once and hit the send button, hoping that his message to Ryan didn't scare her off.

' _Thinking of you_ '. That's what he had sent, that's what he hoped would construe that he missed her, that he wanted to see her again but at the same time he didn't want her to think he was some sort of stalker.

Setting his phone down on the desk once more, he held his breath and hoped that she responded quickly. When his phone buzzed against the surface of the desk, his heart skipped a beat, and now he found himself terrified at what she would say.

Regret flooded through his veins and he turned to face the office to the right of him. Good, no one seemed too concerned with what Jordan was doing. He repeated the process and looked to the left, again, no one was giving him their attention. Still holding his breath, he lifted the phone up and hit the button, bringing up her texted response.

' _Where are you?_ '

Oh, well, that wasn't exactly anything to get upset over. Jordan furrowed his eyebrows together and thought about what she could be thinking. When he couldn't figure out why it mattered where he was, he texted her back with one word: 'why'.

Instead of setting the phone down, he held it in his hand and let out a soft sigh, hoping that her reply would clear up his confusion. The device buzzed against his palm and Jordan pulled up the new text message, a smile taking over his lips as he read her response.

' _If you're at work, that's not so creepy. If you're at home, in bed, then I'm a little sketched out_ '

Stifling a laugh, he typed out his response: ' _lying in bed, naked…kidding, I'm at work_ '.

Jordan glanced at the clock on the top of the phone and couldn't help but wonder when exactly she started work. He knew that she worked the night shift and he assumed that she was working that night seeing as she hadn't mentioned having the night off, but it was quickly approaching ten o'clock, so when did her shift start and when would she stop responding.

His eyes were brought down to the screen and Jordan jumped slightly at the vibrating cell phone. He hit the button and her newest text message filled his screen.

' _Hot damn, I thought I was the only one who laid in bed naked thinking of you._ '

Wow. Well, that was certainly unexpected.

Jordan sucked in a breath and tried to come up with something witty and clever as his response but the more he thought about it, the more he just wanted to know if she was being serious or if she was kidding like he had been. Before he could decide what to type in response, the phone began vibrating in his hold and Jordan quickly hit the answer button, lifting the device up to his ear.

"Hey there deputy." Ryan sounded cheery and just the sound of her voice lifted his spirits the tiniest little bit.

"Hi Ryan." He chuckled in response and glanced around the room, once again no one was paying him any attention. "What are you up to?"

"Me, I'm sitting in the lounge at the hospital waiting for my shift to start." She answered his question and he heard her suck in a breath. "It was getting pretty boring until you texted me."

"Then I'm glad to be of entertainment to you." Jordan teased and relaxed in his chair. He leaned back and set his free hand on the edge of the desk, hoping that he could keep the conversation from getting too serious or too awkward.

"Yeah, funny thing, I was thinking of you too, and then you sent me that text." Ryan's voice got lower and Jordan could picture her turning her back to anyone that might be near her.

"You're on my mind a lot." He said honestly and instantly regretted opening his mouth. No, why had he said that, what good could possibly come from him admitting that to Ryan. What if she didn't feel the same, what if she took his statement and found it all too creepy, what if-

"But am I on your mind while you're in bed naked?" She cut him off and Jordan dropped his hand down, hitting himself hard in the leg. Oh yes, he had felt it, he wasn't dreaming.

"If I say yes, you're not going to file a restraining order or anything are you?" Jordan countered smugly and at the sound of her laughter, he immediately felt himself relax.

"Uh no, not at this point in time." She continued to laugh. "But I mean, if you take your nakedness out of the house and end up getting caught in the bushes outside my house, then I might have to consider it."

"Well then I'll just have to make sure I'm _inside_ your house if I ever get that sort of urge."

"You'd be totally welcome, so long as Kylie's in bed." Ryan let out a snort of amusement. "Sorry Jordan but you don't really seem like the type of guy who hides in the bushes and jacks himself off."

"I can change." He joked and Ryan let out another bark of laughter. "If that's something that interests you…"

Ryan sucked in a breath and quickly ended her laughter. He waited for her response yet again and hoped that it would be as good as what he was thinking she might say in his head.

"I think I'd be okay if you just did that sort of thing in the privacy of your own home." She remarked and the light tone was still in her voice. "Speaking of your home, that's somewhere I've never been. What do you have to say about that deputy?"

"I say you're welcome there anytime. I was unaware that it was somewhere you wanted to see." Jordan chuckled. Ryan let out a hum and Jordan suddenly felt himself getting nervous again. Was she really suggesting that she wanted to see his place and if that was exactly what she was doing, was else was she implying?

"See the thing about your place is that there's no kid, at least not that I'm aware of. You don't have kids do you?" Her voice had turned serious, as though she could actually believe that he had kids that he had yet to mention to her. Did she really believe he was that kind of guy?

"I don't." Jordan answered. "No kids for me, but that's not saying that I don't adore kids, Kylie's just the sweetest-"

"Hmm, too much information." She cut him off with a giggle. "I was just looking for an invitation to your place, that's all."

Jordan let out a low whistle at her implication and Ryan snorted on the other end of the line. When he had sent her the text message claiming he was thinking of her, he definitely hadn't expected it to turn into their current conversation. Not only had she suggested that maybe he was a peeping tom but now she was implying that she wanted to see his home without Kylie around.

"How about you let me know when you're next night off is and I'll cook us dinner?" Jordan offered without skipping a beat. The phone fell silent after that though and suddenly Jordan found himself wondering if she had gone back on her words. Was this really something she wanted with him?

Maybe she was trying to figure out an excuse to get out of dinner at his place, maybe Cole had taken over her mind and now she was having second thoughts about their entire friendship.

"Jordan." She sighed and he tensed, waiting for her to tell him that she wasn't ready. "That sounds really nice."

"I'm sensing a 'but'. Look if you're not comfortable-"

"Oh no, no 'but'. It sounds really nice, I mean that, honestly."

"Okay, then are you sure you're okay with this?" Jordan asked her, wanting to make sure that there was nothing bothering her about the potential for them to spend the night together, without Kylie.

"I am, I just…god I feel like such an idiot and maybe this is too much information but Cole's the only guy that I've ever been with." Ryan said, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

"Why does that make you feel like an idiot? I think that's perfectly acceptable."

"Okay. I just want you to be aware that I might be a little off my game."

"Ryan, it's fine." He smiled into the phone. She was cute when she was anxious and Jordan could picture the uneasy look on her face. "I'll be the perfect gentleman."

"Wait, I mean, I just want to make sure we're on the same page here for a second; we're talking about sex right?"

Jordan chocked back a laugh and leaned forward on the chair. He set his elbow on the desk and dropped his attention to his keyboard, hoping that no one else noticed him. He peered up through his lashes and made a mental note that everyone in the surrounding area was busy, too busy to give him a second look.

"I was, were you?" He shot back.

"I was." She replied and Jordan listened carefully as the noise in the background picked up on her end.

He peered at the clock in the bottom of his screen and found himself hoping that she had more time to talk to him. She had made him smile when all he had wanted to do was plant his face on the desk and shut out reality. Her voice had made his heart skip a beat as soon as he had heard it and now they were talking about sex, something that had suddenly become something he really wanted to experience with her.

"Then we're on the same page." Jordan chuckled.

"Seems we are." She sucked in a breath and he knew that their conversation was going to be coming to an end soon. "Look, I have to go start work but I hope that I have a night off soon, I like spending time with you."

"I like spending time with you too, and Kylie."

"She likes you too. So, I'll call you on break if you want?" Ryan offered and Jordan took a few seconds to respond so that he didn't seem too eager.

"That sounds good. I look forward to hearing from you." Jordan smiled.

"Okay, talk to you later."

"Have a good shift."

"Oh god, is this turning into one of those lame 'you hang up' first things?" Ryan snickered. "Because if you tell me to hang up first, then I will, I don't like playing games."

"Goodbye Ryan." He laughed.

"Bye!"

Just like he had anticipated, she hadn't tried to continue talking to him, she had hung up instead. Jordan pulled his phone away from his ear and set it on the desk, a smile etched on his face at the idea of spending even more time with Ryan. The idea of having her over for dinner was exciting and now he could spend some time when he had nothing to do at work trying to figure out what he was going to cook her.

Bringing his eyes up and away from his phone, he took another look around the room and spotted the sheriff, who was standing behind his own desk in his office. Jordan continued to watch him and when the older man stepped around the side of his desk and made his way out into the main room, Jordan tipped his head back slightly and waited for his boss to speak to him.

"Did you get all those notes into the system?" The sheriff asked as he moved closer to Jordan.

"I did."

"Good." The sheriff paused just outside his office and seemed to hesitate with what he wanted to say next. Jordan kept his eyes trained on him. "Hey. We need to try and keep this quiet for as long as we can. Once the press finds out about this, they're going to be all over those kids."

Jordan looked down at the notepad and considered the options that were floating around in his head, "you want a squad car outside your house?"

Ah yes, this was what Jordan liked. If he could suggest decent ideas to the sheriff, as well as his fellow deputies, then maybe he'd be able to work up his repertoire.

"Yeah, might be a good idea tonight." The sheriff sighed and fiddled with his belt.

Jordan turned his attention past the deputy out in the lobby area as a weird hissing noise sounded out from the next room. He looked at the other deputy standing near the desk, a file in his hand, and considered what he could've heard. There was nothing in the other room that should have made a noise let alone an unusual tinkering noise.

Before the sheriff could get out another word, Jordan jumped to his feet, drew his gun out of the holster and pointed it at the deputy, who was none the wiser, and hoped that this wasn't the beginning to a horrifying night.

A mysterious black figure emerged behind the deputy and before Jordan could get a handle on what was really happening, the figure pulled out a sword, lifted it up into the air and brought it down, the blade piercing through the skin on the deputy's back. He was launched forward from the impact, his knees collapsing as he fell to the ground, hard. The file in his hand exploded as it too was launched forward, the papers flying everywhere.

Jordan let off a few shots from his gun, his mind reeling with what he had just witnessed, but he didn't have any time to waste thinking about what he could've done to prevent the attack, no, instead, he watched in awe as the mysterious, sword-wielding figure waved his weapon back and forth, as if it was showing off its skills, stopping only to pose, before another figure appeared behind him. The two strange things stood still, silver/gray masks adorning their faces that looked completely menacing.

Sharp teeth and somewhat pointed noses adorned the masks and where their eyes should've been, all Jordan could see were dark holes. Whoever, or whatever, these things were, well Jordan wasn't going to go down without a fight.

He pulled the trigger a few more times and as he fired off the last of the rounds in his cartridge, his mind drifted back to what FBI Agent McCall had reported seeing not all that long ago.

The police sketches of the sword wielding maniacs had just gone from being a total joke to becoming a terrifying reality.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Whoa! Things are about to go down! Is Ryan going to be involved in the attack at the hospital do you think?_**

 ** _Thank you so much to those that reviewed, followed and favourited, I love hearing from you guys so please keep it up! How are you enjoying the story so far?_**

 ** _A: Why thank you so, so much for the review! I'm glad that you're still enjoying it!_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Thanks so much for leaving me a review! I'm glad you thought their talk was cute._**

 ** _If there's anything you guys want to say about anything, maybe you have questions that you want answered or things that you want cleared up, just let me know. Please leave me a review and I'll do my best to get back to you. If there's any questions you might have, feel free to PM me, I'm always up for a chat!_**


	15. Chapter 15

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 15:_**

Jordan's text had been the cherry on top of the sundae. Ryan had been a little saddened by his abrupt departure following breakfast that morning but she had understood all too well that a deputy was always on call.

Having dealt with the idea the Cole went to work whenever the sheriff needed him for many years, Ryan wasn't too upset over Jordan being pulled away from her and Kylie, no, she understood that he had an important job but it was definitely a painful reminder of what she was getting herself into.

One day his phone might ring and he'd go running to work, only to find himself in a dire situation. If she was lucky, she'd be able to say her goodbyes before losing him, if it ever came down to it. It was the one thing that Ryan had always made sure to say before Cole left, she made sure that he knew she loved him and he'd make sure Ryan knew he loved her right back.

That didn't lessen the pain any when she had received that dreaded phone call informing her that Cole wouldn't be returning home, not in the slightest. Saying her goodbyes had only given her a sense of peace and thus she didn't have to spend day after day regretting things she didn't say.

So when Jordan texted her before her shift started claiming he was thinking of her, well that had just made her night. As much as she enjoyed the playful banter between them after that, she knew that everything she had said to him was true. She had lain on the couch, which was technically _her_ bed for the time being, and thought about Jordan Parrish, although not to the extent that she had joked about. She wouldn't deny that the idea of seeing him naked was exciting, it just wasn't as important to her. There were some nights where all she could think about was her future with Kylie and whether or not she wanted Jordan to be a part of that.

He'd already shown Ryan that he was a decent parental figure and Kylie's adoration for him simply proved that he was a good fit for them, but there were still lingering thoughts in her head. What would happen if her and Jordan became serious to the point where he would encounter situations where Kylie was acting out? Could he handle that? Would he be able to be the parent that Kylie needed or would he simply try to appease her, maybe with bribes or deals?

Punishing the toddler was hard enough in Ryan's eyes and she was the kid's mother. She couldn't even begin to imagine how opposed to punishing the girl Jordan would be if he ever had too, but Kylie was a child, she needed structure, she needed rules and she'd have to face the consequences if and when she broke said rules.

Ryan shook her head and forced her attention back to the task at hand. She had been heading for the front desk in search of her clipboard when her mind had drifted to Jordan and whether or not he could be a good father figure one day. Now she stood in front of the desk and glanced down at the surface, searching for her clipboard.

"What's got you in such a dopey mood?" Melissa McCall teased as she came up behind Ryan, giving the girl a gentle pat on the shoulder.

"Dopey?" Ryan scrunched her nose up at the word and her eyes followed Melissa, the older woman moving around Ryan before coming to a stop next to her. "It's not a dopey mood, I'm just…happy. Am I not allowed to be happy?"

"Right, okay, no, you're allowed to be happy but what's got you in such a happy mood to start with? Wait no, let me guess, does it have anything to do with Deputy McSexy who's popped in to see you on more than one occasion?" Melissa grinned at Ryan who merely scoffed in response.

"You know, if you focused more on your own love life and kept your nose out of my nonexistent one, maybe you'd be able to land that gorgeous new doctor who keeps checking you out every time you're within eyeshot."

"Hey now, don't you be changing the subject here." Melissa scolded playfully and Ryan rolled her eyes.

She had known all about Melissa's home life and how it had taken a drastic turn a few years ago. Her husband, Ryan wasn't even sure if they were officially divorced or not, had left the house one night and hadn't returned until recently. Melissa had never given too many details on the matter and Ryan often wondered if he had left on his own accord or if she had kicked him out, but that wasn't her business and it certainly wasn't something she was going to come out and bluntly ask.

"Well what do you really want to know then?" Ryan planted a hand on her hip and leveled Melissa with an irritated stare.

"If I remember correctly, there was a mentioning of a potential date between you, did that ever happen?"

Ryan sucked in a breath and wondered briefly if the picnic could be considered a date, "he took Ky and me to the park a couple nights ago. We had the cutest little picnic together, at least until it started raining."

"Oh my gosh!" Melissa let out an excited squeal and gave Ryan a rough pat on the elbow. "That sounds like so much fun! Tell me, how did he get along with Kylie?"

Her lips turned up into a smile and Melissa knew before she even opened her mouth that the deputy and Kylie had gotten along swimmingly. Ryan felt her cheeks heating up the tiniest little bit before dropping her eyes down to the floor.

"She absolutely loves him." Ryan answered, almost embarrassed by her own words. "He brought her a teddy bear and the two of them ended up playing in the rain."

Melissa grinned at Ryan, her eyes wide with excitement. If there was one person that was pulling for Ryan to find the perfect guy, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that it was Melissa McCall. She seemed to believe that one day Ryan would get her knight in shining armour and that knight would make her forget all about Cole, or at least he'd be a distraction to the point where Ryan wouldn't constantly find herself moping about her late husband.

Part of Ryan understood where Melissa's belief had sprung from. The woman had lost out on years with her very own husband and now here he was, appearing back in her life when she had least expected it. Melissa was one of the nicest people that Ryan had ever met, the woman deserved her own happily ever after, but until that happened, Ryan was perfectly content letting Melissa live vicariously through her.

"He came back to my place for breakfast this morning, as weird as it seemed, him and my dad were getting along really well too." Ryan stated, Melissa stifling a chuckle at what Ryan had said.

"Well maybe your dad just wants you to be happy and maybe he can see that Deputy McSexy has the potential to _make_ you happy, did you ever think of that?"

"I've considered it, yes, and while I think that's part of the reason, I think the other part is that he knows if I get involved with any sort of authority figure that he won't have to worry about me and Kylie as much because I'll have someone in my life who can protect us just as well as he can." Ryan pointed out but there was no hiding the smile on her face. Yes, Jordan Parrish certainly had the ability to brighten her day and she found herself thinking about the next time she'd be able to see him more often than not.

"Whatever his reason for liking the guy, I think it's nice. You two _do_ make just the cutest couple." Melissa laughed, picturing Ryan and Jordan together. They certainly did look adorable together.

"Okay, okay, fine. Don't you have work to do?" Ryan leveled the older woman with a pointed look, Melissa shaking her head at Ryan in response. "I don't know about you but I've got a guy in the room down the hall that needs my help."

"You're right." Melissa nodded her agreement but continued to snicker at the thought of Ryan liking the new deputy. "I'll meet you for break later, how's that sound?"

"Sounds like a plan." Ryan replied with a small smile and made a move to walk away. Melissa reached out and gently took hold of Ryan's hand, bringing her attention right back to her.

"So that means that Deputy McSexy isn't bringing you your lunch?"

"Not tonight."

"Damn, I was looking forward to seeing him again. Seriously Ry, he's pretty nice on the eyes."

Ryan pulled her hand out of Melissa's grip, shook her head at the older woman and took off down the hall, hoping that the teasing would stop, or at least lessen, soon. As much as Jordan was really on her mind, Ryan knew that there was more to what was going on between them than anyone could understand. He was the first person, outside of her family, that she had talked to about Cole. He was the one guy that she trusted telling Cole being her only lover about. Jordan Parrish was one of the only people who knew why she slept on the couch in her living room as well as why there weren't any picture of Cole left on the walls of her house.

Yes, there was definitely something special about Deputy Jordan Parrish.

Ryan tried to push Jordan to the back of her mind as she wandered into the room where her current patient awaited. She didn't know the guy and he seemed more concerned with his bleeding finger than giving Ryan the once over, which was just fine by her. She stepped up beside the table, where the man sat cradling his arm, and looked at his hand, wondering what could've happened to cause this much blood.

"How are you tonight sir?" Ryan spoke softly, breaking the man's trance and drawing his attention to her. "Care to tell me what happened to your hand?"

The man stared up at her, almost as if he was in awe of the entire situation. She had seen her fair share of dazed and confused people who claimed that they barely remember whatever happened to them and she knew full well that there were far too many cases where people couldn't recall how they had wound up at the hospital at all. She merely hoped that this guy was coherent enough to provide her with any relevant information that she might find important to the way that she planned on treating him.

"I was up on the ladder," the man paused and sucked in a breath, offering his bleeding hand out to Ryan, "it wasn't the most stable thing to stand on but I figured I only needed to put the paint cans up on the top shelf in the garage."

Ryan nodded her understanding and pulled a pair of latex gloves out of the pockets on her scrubs. She slipped her hands into them and pointed to the man's finger.

"Mind if I take a look?"

"Go for it." He answered.

"Okay, you can keep telling me what happened then."

"Right. So here I am, standing about halfway up the ladder with a paint can in my one hand. I go to put it up on the shelf and I feel the ladder start to sway. Before I knew what was really happening, the ladder collapsed, my hand reached out for the shelf so I could maybe keep myself up and my finger gets caught on a bolt, sliced right into my _bone_."

"When was the last time you had a tetanus shot?" Ryan glanced up at the man's face and he shrugged. "Do you think it was within the last ten years?"

"Oh, well, I think so. I stepped on a rusty nail a couple years back and I'm pretty sure I had some sort of shot when I went to the ER."

"Okay, then here's what I'm going to do, I'm going to go grab some thread and a needle and then I'm going to come back and we're going to stitch your finger so that it's good as new. Can you hang here for a few minutes while I grab what I need?" Ryan took a step away from him and studied the man closely.

He seemed to be calm enough and that was a plus. If he had been freaking out, it would've made her job that slightest bit harder and that wasn't something Ryan felt the need to deal with that particular night. He nodded his head at her and she flashed him a reassuring smile before turning her back to him.

Without any more words between them, Ryan headed for the door that would lead her into the hallway but with a flicker of the lights, she stopped dead in her tracks, reaching a hand out to rest on the doorframe. She sucked in a breath and felt a shiver run down her spine.

Taking a quick glance back at the man sitting on the table, she tossed him another reassuring smile and poked her head out of the room and into the hallway. Yet again the lights flickered and Ryan couldn't help but feel uneasy. Something wasn't right, something didn't _feel_ right.

She glanced down the hall in one direction and didn't see anything out of the ordinary. She glanced down the other direction and spotted none other than Stiles Stilinski standing at the front desk, but that wasn't what truly alarmed her.

The two figures dressed in black were easily out of place and when Ryan's eyes traveled down to their hands, her eyes widened in fear.

What the hell was Stiles doing? What were the two men doing with swords?

Before she could gather up enough courage to step out into the hallway, one of the figures in black took a step forward, poised his sword and jammed it through the wooden panel on the desk, impaling the man standing behind it through the gut.

Ryan lifted her hand up and covered her mouth to keep herself from screaming out but it wouldn't have mattered, it wouldn't have made a difference whether or not she had let the scream escape.

Everyone else who was within seeing distance of the front desk was panicking, cries of pain and screeches of fear filled the hallway.

When the two sword wielding maniacs turned to face down the hall, in the direction that Ryan was currently standing in, she froze, her entire body going cold in terror. Her eyes drifted to Stiles and she knew that something was wrong with him, something desperately wrong.

He was pale, his skin an almost sickly gray colour, while his eyes looked sunken and bags were prominent underneath them. She managed to tear her eyes off of Stiles and stole a glance at one of the black figures.

She gasped in total shock and spun around, pressing her back against the wall inside of the room, the man on the table looking at her in fear, clearly confused and afraid of what was going on.

The silver faces had spooked her immensely and Ryan swore that they held expressions that were reserved for the deepest pits of darkness and despair. The glistening, razor sharp, silver teeth inside what Ryan could only assume were their mouths, were things out of nightmares. Whatever the hell was happening was going to be horrifyingly bad.

The lights continued to flicker and the pain filled screams from people in the hallway continued to carry on. Ryan sucked in a breath, lowered her hand from her mouth and met the gaze of the terrified man still sitting on the table.

"What the hell is going on?" He asked, his voice barely louder than a whisper. Ryan shook her head, it was the only thing she could do. Her own voice wasn't going to work, not when she was this terrified. She lifted a finger up and motioned for the man to give her just one second before she held her breath and spun back around, poking her head out into the hallway.

She shuddered at the sight; the doctors, nurses, civilians, anyone who got in the way of the two black hooded men met their fate too quickly, bodies falling to the floor, blood exploding out of wounds inflicted by the shiny silver swords.

Ryan dropped down into a crouch, reached her arm out and grabbed hold of the edge of the door before slamming it shut. Maybe if she could keep them out of the room then she'd be okay, maybe the man on the table would be okay. All she could do now was try to keep her head clear but with each passing second, and the mental pictures of her colleagues taking fatal sword injuries to their bodies, she knew that her mind wouldn't stay clear for long.

"We need…we need to hide." Ryan forced the words out and crawled across the floor, motioning towards the wall on the far side of the room where there was a door. She knew well enough that it was a supply closet but hell, it was better than nothing and she wasn't entirely sure if the men in the hallway were going to stay there or if they were soon going to start invading the adjoining rooms.

She didn't have to wait too much longer to find out. Scampering towards the closet door, she could only make out sounds as someone pounded on the door.

Ryan lunged at the closet and pushed it open, leaping inside and looking out into the room in search of the man who had come in for stitches. Her eyes landed on him but she knew that it was too late for him and if she wasn't quick, it'd be too late for her too.

She watched, nearly frozen in terror, as one of the black figures wandered into the room, almost casually as though this was something he did every day, and brought his blade down on the poor man's shoulder, nearly slicing his arm clean off.

Ryan wasn't sure if the scream belonged to her or the man, all she _was_ sure of was that the sound was deafening.

The figure turned its attention towards her and before she could even fathom what would happen to her if he got in the closet, she slammed the door shut and flipped the deadbolt across, hoping that it would be enough to keep her alive.

Cowering back into the darkest corner of the closet, Ryan dropped down to her butt and lifted her knees up against her chest, hugging them tight as she listened carefully for any signs of the man attempting to get into the closet.

It was hard to make out anything over the sheer sound of chaos within the hospital, screams were still heard from the hallways and Ryan considered the idea that she would be losing friends, people that she knew, in the attack.

She dropped her forehead against her knees and squeezed her eyes shut tight, willing herself to wake up from the horrendous nightmare happening outside of her little sanctuary. There was no way that this was real, there was no reason for crazy looking ninjas to walk into a hospital and attack every innocent person that got in the way.

Yet that's exactly what seemed to be happening and Ryan had seen Stiles before everything had gone horribly, terribly wrong. What did Stiles Stilinski, the sheriff's kid, have to do with a massacre inside the hospital?

Sucking in a breath and holding it, Ryan opened her eyes and glanced at the door. No one had tried to get into the closet yet but she wasn't about to open the door unless she knew that it was over.

Fear gripped her body and she wondered if it ever _would_ be over. Was this what Cole felt like seconds before he had been taken from her, ripped from her life and sentenced to an eternity in the afterlife? Had he somehow managed to find peace in his last seconds or had he gone out fighting with everything he had?

At the thought of Cole crossing her mind, Ryan found herself thinking of Kylie. Had Cole too thought of their daughter as he lay dying?

If something happened to Ryan though, what would happen to Kylie? She knew that her little girl would be taken care of, that wasn't where her concern happened to fall, no she was far more worried about how the little girl would grow up and whether or not she'd be utterly traumatised by her childhood and the fact that one, and potentially both, of her parents had been stolen right out of her grasp.

"Please be okay, please be okay." Ryan murmured and rocked gently on the floor. Her eyes locked onto the door and she willed herself to be strong if anything, or anyone, tried to get inside the closet.

She wasn't going to go down without a fight but she had witnessed enough outside of her darkened room to know that unless she suddenly knew how to defend herself against a razor sharp sword wielded by a ninja with impeccable skills, well, she didn't really stand a chance.

"Oh god, Melissa!" Ryan groaned and scampered to her feet.

She needed to figure out a plan, she needed to come up with a way to play defense before she was reduced to pleading for her life, and it didn't seem like the attackers were that invested into listening to people plead.

She looked around at all the shelves and searched desperately for something, anything, that she could use to protect herself. When her eyes landed on the container of drain cleaner, she knew that it would be her best bet. If anyone tried to get into the closet, she could use the drain cleaner similar to chemical warfare, hopefully blinding the attackers long enough so that she could take off and get the hell out of the hospital.

Clutching the container of drain cleaner against her chest, Ryan stared at the door for a few seconds and just listened. She narrowed her eyes on the doorknob and tilted her head in curiosity before taking a few steps closer, studying the foreign sounds that she was hearing.

Before she got too much closer, her heart shattered in realization at what she was hearing. The sound of the man in the other room gasping for breath and muttering incoherently would haunt Ryan for a long time to come. There was no helping him though, she knew better than to open the door. She had seen enough horror movies to know that the safest place was tucked away where no one would know to look for her.

When the man let out an ear-piercing scream, which was followed by the sound of metal scraping against metal, Ryan dropped to her knees and bit down on her tongue, fighting back the urge to scream. There was definitely no way that the man was alive after that and when the room outside fell silent, Ryan knew that there would more carnage, far worse than what she had witnessed.

For now, all she could do was crawl back into the darkest corner of her sanctuary and pray that she'd make it out of the hospital alive. Kylie wasn't going to grow up without a mother, not if Ryan had anything to say about it anyways.

With the thought of Kylie filling her head, and the idea of her own father raising the girl in the event of anything happening to Ryan, she leaned her back against the wall and looked up at the ceiling, hoping that it would never come to that.

Ryan had way too much to lose.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Just to let you guys know, I'm heading on vacation next week and won't be able to update. If you guys leave me enough reviews though, I might be able to sneak in one more chapter before I leave ;)_**

 ** _How are you all liking (or not liking) the little friendship between Ryan and Melissa McCall? Do you guys think Ryan makes it out of the closet unscathed?_**

 ** _I'd love to hear from you guys who are reading this, do you like it, are you enjoying it, what's your favourite thing about it?_**

 ** _Thank you so much to those that reviewed, followed and favourite!_**

 ** _A: Oh yes, things will definitely be changing. How do you think Ryan's going to fair in the future knowing that there are sword wielding maniacs out there? Thank you so much for the review :)_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Nope, she's got things to do and not a lot of time to waste on 'you hang up first, no you, no you' lol. Thanks for the review!_**

 ** _If there's anything you guys want to say about anything, maybe you have questions that you want answered or things that you want cleared up, just let me know. Please leave me a review and I'll do my best to get back to you. If there's any questions you might have, feel free to PM me, I'm always up for a chat!_**


	16. Chapter 16

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 16:_**

By the time the figure had backed off long enough for Jordan to get himself situated, many of the deputies at the desks behind him had also dropped down to the floor and drawn their guns, ready to make another attempt to stop the black hooded figure if it decided to get back up off the floor. They had managed to drop it to the ground but it had taken a lot of fire power to do so.

His gun was clutched tightly in his hand and Jordan felt his heart pounding against his chest, his eyes glancing to the side at the rest of the deputies before coming to rest on the sheriff, who had his back against the wall and was sidestepping towards the doorway to the room where the figure was lying motionless.

What the hell had happened to start with though? And where had the sword wielding maniac come from? It had been as though he had appeared out of thin air, but that sort of thing wasn't possible, was it? Had Jordan really witnessed the attacker appearing out of nowhere?

Jordan made a move to stand up but the sheriff lifted his hand, sending Jordan right back down to his knees. He seized his opportunity and took a hard look behind him, mentally counting how many of the deputies had taken up positions with him, every single one of them ready to back up the sheriff as he slowly continued to make his way to the doorway to check out the carnage of the figure's primary attack.

It wasn't hard to figure out that the deputy on the ground was dead, there was no way he could take a strike like the one he had received across his back and survive, especially not now that there was no way for anyone to get near a phone or use their radio to call for help.

Taking the last few final steps to the doorway, the sheriff continued to breathe heavily and he turned his head, peeking through the window before he decided to poke his head into the other room. He leaned into the doorway and stared, wide-eyed in awe, as the figure that had been lying motionless on the floor turned to smoke, thick, black smoke, which rose up from the body wistfully. If it wasn't absurdly impossible, Jordan might have called the picture in front of him beautiful, as though the man's spirit was leaking out of his body and heading for the heavens.

Within seconds, the figure was back on its feet, Jordan pointing his gun right at it, but when he looked to where the figure should have been, it was just gone. It had simply disappeared.

Jordan whipped his head to the side, his gun following, and low and behold, the black smoke spouted from the vacant air next to the sheriff.

"Sheriff!" Jordan cried out and rose up the slightest bit so that he could get a better handle on the situation. What the hell was going on here?

The sheriff managed to duck and move out of the way as the figure's blade came across and the edge of the sword drove into the wall. As soon as the sheriff was out of the deputies line of fire, bullets erupted from their guns, the sheriff joining in as he moved backwards towards the side of the room where the deputies had managed to put up a sort of barricade using nothing more than their desks.

Bullets just bounced right off the sleek silver mask, dropping to the floor. It seemed as though the spray of bullets was more of a simple annoyance to the figure than anything.

When a second figure wandered through the doorway though, Jordan turned his attention towards it and continued to fire. Why weren't they dropping, how were they repelling the firing squad that had banded together in the station?

Whatever these figures were, they definitely weren't human, at least not any sort of human that Jordan had ever seen before. Something wasn't right. There was no way that anyone should still be standing after having that many bullets unleashed on them, body armour or not, the two figures should be dead, or at the very least wounded.

When the sheriff took up a stance behind Jordan, he put everything he had into the battle, hoping that the figures would fall sooner rather than later. There was no way that they could hold them off for too much longer, eventually the deputies would run out of ammo, and then what would they do?

The figure closest to Jordan raised his sword into the air and poised it right in front of him, both hands on the wrapped handle. The figure took a swing at him and the sheriff but the two of them split up, Jordan maneuvering around his desk, turning on his heels and taking up a position in between another desk and the filing cabinet. He unleashed the last remaining rounds in his gun and flinched slightly at the sound of the gun clicking, the clip was now empty and his heart pounded wildly inside his chest.

Without skipping a beat, he reached back behind him, grabbed another clip and made quick work of replacing the empty one in the gun with the new one, but it wasn't quick enough. Without the clip clicked all the way in, he was doomed, doomed until the very sheriff himself showed up next to him, a shotgun in his grasp.

"You're going to need a bigger gun." The sheriff commanded and poised the barrel of the shotgun directly at the sword-wielding maniac that _still_ hadn't given up on his attack.

The shotgun blast erupted from the end of the gun and the figure flew backward upon impact. Moving forward, the sheriff swiftly pumped the gun and poised it so that it was ready to unleash another powerful round.

Jordan, as well as the other deputes, fell in behind their chief and set their sights on the second attacker. More gunfire was unleashed but the man in the black hood and silver mask pushed forward, swinging his blade effortlessly. One of the deputies closed in on him but the blade was brought down on his front, causing him to bend over before bringing the blade down on his back, slicing into the deputy's flesh and forcing him to the ground.

The sword spun in the man's hands and Jordan hesitated in moving forward towards him. It was too late though, the sword was raised into the air and Jordan watched, wide-eyed in horror as the sheriff gently pushed him out of the way and stepped into the line of attack.

The blade sunk into his forearm and the sheriff dropped the shotgun before letting out a pained groan. Jordan grabbed the shoulder of his shirt and pulled him backwards, getting him out of the way as he fired his gun at the attacker yet again in a lame attempt to force him backward, away from him and the wounded sheriff.

The sword moved quickly but each and every bullet that Jordan fired at the attacker, he deflected with his blade, which was now moving so fast that it was barely anything more than a blur.

As soon as his clip was empty, he felt his back press against the wall and the masked intruder brought his sword out in front of him, waving it menacingly before striking Jordan in the side, just above his hip. The pain exploded from the hit and Jordan threw himself backward as he dropped to the floor, his back hammering hard against a desk, his eyes catching the last few wisps of black smoke before the figure completely disappeared into thin air, which was the way Jordan had assumed he had made it into the station in the first place.

Glancing to the side, he looked directly into the barrel of the sheriff's gun, his own chest heaving from the attack as well as the injury to his body. The sheriff lowered his gun upon realizing it was Jordan but kept it in his hand, he too was breathing heavily.

"What the hell happened?" The sheriff asked in a low tone, his voice hoarse, obviously from the surprise attack that they had just face.

"They left. They just- they left." Jordan answered and fought off the urge to cry out in pain.

He glanced over to the other side of the room and checked to see who else had survived the attack with them. A few deputies were hidden behind desks or between filing cabinets and he knew that it could've been much worse had the intruders had even another second before anyone had seen them.

Letting his hands fall against his belt, Jordan fumbled with the material of his shirt before pulling it upwards, giving him a clear view of his own injury. There was a cut across the top of his hip bone, dark, crimson blood caked around it, but the weird part about the wound was the black mingled in with the blood. Regular wounds wouldn't be black, not unless they were char marks and he hadn't been aware of any sort of fire anywhere nearby.

Black vapour rose up from the wound on his side and Jordan winced from the pain. Maybe if he could just get himself, as well as the rest of the deputies, to the hospital, maybe if he could get himself to Ryan, then she'd be able to help him.

"Why did they let us live?" Jordan asked in a hushed tone, struggling to keep his body still, each move sending a jolt of pain up through his chest.

"I'm not so sure they did." The sheriff answered, his arm now lifted up and his hand no longer holding the gun. Black vapour wafted up from the cut on his arm too and Jordan shook his head, hoping to god that the attack was over for good. If he could just get to his feet, if he could get to a phone, he could call for help.

It was no use though. His entire body felt like it was slowly going numb, except, of course, for the pain. The wound on his side seemed to be festering and Jordan couldn't imagine how the other deputies were fairing. This feeling, the pain, it was bad, so bad that he didn't want to move a muscle for fear that it would just become worse.

Sweat broke out all over his skin and it took everything in him that he had to keep his eyes open and his head upright. The pain was unbearable and the only thing he could think of to do was to shut his eyes and pray that it would stop.

As his eyelids began to droop, Jordan let out a long breath and tried desperately to think of something that would make him smile one last time before he drifted off to sleep without knowing if he'd ever wake back up.

The thought of Ryan, and sweet little Kylie, crossed his mind and he found his heart slowing down in pace. It didn't matter if it was because he was losing consciousness and possibly dying, so long as the Sloane girls were in his head, he was calm.

"Parrish, keep your eyes open." The sheriff's voice sounded far off and muffled but Jordan could hear it, he could just barely make out the words. "Deputy!"

At the firmer, more commanding tone of his sheriff, Jordan jumped and opened his eyes, forcing himself to stay awake long enough to glance over at the sheriff. He grabbed the hem of his shirt again and lifted the material away from his wound, watching as more of the black vapour evaporated from his skin.

"What is this? Is this poison?" Jordan let out a hiss of pain and dropped his chin downwards, hoping that whatever it was, it would stop hurting soon.

"Whatever it is," the sheriff paused and let out a wince from his own pain, "it's working fast."

Jordan squeezed his eyes shut one more time and willed himself to stay alive, to get to his feet and call for help. If he could just overcome the pain, the searing aching in his limbs, then he could get to a phone, he could get an ambulance on the line, he could save everyone.

As quickly as the pain had spread, it started to lessen, so much so that Jordan sucked in a breath and used his fingers to press into his side, where the wound should've been. His nails bit into his skin and he flinched at the sharp edges of his nails scratching his skin, but when he pulled his hand away, there was no fresh blood, no black on his fingertips.

He looked down at the wound and sucked in a breath at the sight of nothing but dried blood. There was no cut, no broken skin from the sharp blade, just dried blood and a slight discolouration of his flesh.

Jordan whipped his head to the side and looked at the sheriff, who was studying his forearm, apparently looking for his own wound, which had been there the last time Jordan had looked over at his superior.

Without a word between them, the sheriff hopped to his feet and extended his arm down towards Jordan, latching his hand on his wrist and hauling Jordan up off the ground.

Together, the two of them took a quick look around the room and surveyed the carnage, Jordan's eyes falling on his own desk, and the cell phone that he had set there before everything had happened.

Was it worth calling an ambulance now? Everyone in the room who wasn't lying motionless on the floor seemed to be okay, but were there other that _could_ possibly be saved?

Jordan walked over to his cell phone and picked it up. The screen glowed up at him in response to being picked up and before he could contemplate whether or not they all needed an ambulance, the radio on a nearby desk sprung to life.

"Sheriff, do you copy, sheriff, requesting police presence at Beacon Hills Memorial!"

The sheriff dashed over to the radio and picked it up, pressing his finger down on the talk button. He responded while Jordan dialed Ryan's number and hit the call button, waiting for her to answer while at the same time trying to listen to what the sheriff was addressing on the radio.

"Sheriff, you're going to need to come down here, we've got quite the scene here."

Jordan let the phone ring until it went to Ryan's voicemail, her cheery voice telling him to leave his name and a message and she'd get back to him as soon as she could. With a growl of frustration, he tucked his phone into his pocket and stepped back over towards the sheriff, taking a stand next to him.

"There's been an attack, we have a massacre on the first floor, there are so many people!"

Jordan tensed at the voice, which was laced with panic, and suddenly his stomach dropped. A massacre on the first floor of Beacon Hills Memorial, well that's precisely where Ryan worked and he knew she was there, he had spoken to her shortly before her shift started.

His heart picked up in pace for the second time that night and he could feel it in his gut that something was wrong. He had to get to the hospital, he had to get to Ryan, he had to know if she was still alive.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

The deputies, or what was left of them after the savage attack on the station, all herded towards the hospital as soon as they had heard about the attack there. According to what the voice had said over the radio, the hospital had suffered much more than the station and when Jordan hopped out of his cruiser, he wasn't entirely sure what to expect once he got inside.

The building had yet to be cleared but if the same _things_ that had attacked the sheriff's station were the same things that attacked the hospital, it was likely that they were gone. In Jordan's head, it didn't make sense for them to stick around if they weren't still hell bent on destruction and the hospital, apart from the frantic people fleeing in fear, seemed relatively organized.

There was one deputy who was working on helping the hospital staff put up a barricade to keep everyone outside and Jordan's eyes quickly found the familiar older man. Ken Robertson was standing on the curb, Kylie in his arms, as he looked around in a panic. This wasn't good, this wasn't good at all. If Ryan's father was here searching for his daughter, that had to mean that he didn't know where she was or _if_ she was okay.

Without thinking too much about what he was going to do, he jogged over towards Ken. Kylie waved at him but there was no smile on her face, apparently she was familiar with mayhem and there was a sad expression where her usual happy smile resided. Ken turned his head in the direction that Kylie had waved and did a double take. Oh yes, Jordan was right there now and he came to a stop next to Ken.

"Jordie, where's mommy?" Kylie whined and Ken's grip on her tightened, the little girl reached down between her grandpa's chest and her side and produced the teddy bear that Jordan had brought to her at their picnic. "Grampy says she's lost, can you find her?"

"I'll take a look but you need to do me a favour okay?"

"What's that?" Kylie kept her eyes trained on him and Ken threw Jordan a nod of acknowledgement, knowing that he was going to play a crucial role in this so called favour.

"Can you and your grandpa stay right here, in this exact spot? If I find your mom, I'm going to need to be able to find you easily, can you do that for me?"

"Stay here and don't move." Kylie stated with a serious expression on her face. "Okay, we'll stay here and we won't move."

Ken forced an appreciative smile in Jordan's direction and the young deputy lifted his hand up, patting the man's shoulders in a gesture of comfort. Without another second of hesitation, Jordan turned towards the front doors of the hospital and took off in a run, his heart pounding at the idea of not finding Ryan.

As soon as he stepped through the doors, he froze in his tracks and took a look around. Many of his fellow deputies were already helping the injured and bleeding up to a different floor, presumably one that hadn't been part of the initial attack, and there were way too many hospital staff going around covering motionless bodies with sheets, moving them off to the side if they happened to be in the middle of the hall.

Jordan's throat constricted at the thought of Ryan being under one of those sheets. He didn't know what he'd say to the little girl waiting outside for her mommy if that was the case, but nonetheless, Jordan had told Kylie that he was going to look for Ryan, which is precisely what he set his sights on.

Sucking in a breath, he surged forward and tried to find someone, anyone, who might know Ryan and where she could possibly be. He brushed by people and glanced around the hall, at this point in time he'd try his best to ignore the sheet covered corpses, not until he was absolutely sure that he wasn't going to find her alive, then he'd start lifting sheets. Jordan wandered down the hallway with calculated steps, trying to stay out of the way of the people who were doing their part to move the wounded.

The entire scene was horrific, more so than the sheriff's station for sure. There were sheet covered bodies everywhere, blood spatter on the walls, pools of the crimson liquid coating the tile floor, and even some destruction to the hospital itself.

Continuing down the hall, Jordan tried not to let his gaze linger too long on the carnage, instead, he focused on trying to find Ryan so that her little girl outside would be able to breathe a little bit easier.

A deputy rushed by him and nudged him on the way, sending Jordan towards the wall, which he nearly collided with. He had managed to get his hands out in front of him before he impacted, but he couldn't stop his eyes from landing on the gentleman laying wide-eyed and completely still on the floor just inside the door, which was mere inches from his face. His shoulder had been hacked, a deep, gaping wound trailed down towards his collar bone, and Jordan winced at the sight.

He stepped into the room and glanced around, looking for anything he could find to cover the man up with. As he passed by the body, he looked down and shivered at the sight of the man's terrified expression forever frozen on his face.

Sucking in a breath, Jordan forced himself to look yet again around the room, and that's when his eyes landed on the closet nearby. Yes, the closet might have _something_ to cover him up with and the longer Jordan spent in the room, the farther away from finding Ryan he got, which only meant he wanted to get this man covered as quickly as he could so that he could resume his search.

Jordan crossed the rest of the floor and set his hand on the knob, attempting to turn it to open the closet, but the knob didn't budge. Jordan tried to twist it the opposite way but it remained perfectly still. Before he could give up and move on though, a small noise sounded out from inside.

Was that crying? Was there someone locked inside the closet?

Jordan lifted his hand up, pressed his palm against the door and pressed his ear to the cold, metal surface. He lifted his palm away from the door and formed a fist before knocking loudly and listening carefully for any noises inside.

As soon as he knocked, he heard a scuffle and knew that there was someone, or something, inside.

"Is there someone in there?" He called out softly and knocked again, his ear still pressed against the closet door.

He didn't receive a verbal answer, but the loud sob was enough to let him know that there was, in fact, someone in the closet. Had the man on the floor brought someone with him to the hospital, was it one of the staff?

Jordan moved his hand back down to the knob and took in a deep breath.

"This is Deputy Parrish, I'm with the sheriff. You can come out now, the attack is over." Jordan shouted at the closet and leaned his shoulder into the door. "I'd really appreciate it if you could open the door."

"Jordan!"

Well that wasn't just anyone's voice, no, and it certainly wasn't just someone who had come in with the man, that voice sounded an awful lot like Ryan, who he happened to be searching for.

"Ryan, is that you?"

"Yeah." She called back to him and Jordan let out a huge sigh of relief. If she was talking to him, that meant she was alive, which also meant that Jordan didn't have to tell Kylie, or Ken, that Ryan hadn't made it through the attack. "Are they gone?"

"I think so." Jordan paused and looked around at the room, his eyes falling right back onto the dead man not too far from where he was standing. "Listen to me okay, can you open the door, can you come out of the closet?"

Jordan held his breath and hoped that this was all it was going to take. He couldn't even begin to imagine how utterly terrified she was but he was there now, he was right outside telling her that it was okay, that he was going to get her out of there.

He pulled his ear away from the door but turned his head so that his forehead was against it. With his hand still on the knob, he felt the movement on the other side of the door and seconds later, it cracked open, Ryan standing there and peeking through just a few inches of space.

"He's dead." Ryan mumbled and dropped her eyes to the floor.

Jordan gently pushed the door the rest of the way open and stole a look into the small, dark space that Ryan had managed to survive in. He saw the container of chemicals sitting on the floor but quickly turned his attention to the shaking girl in front of him.

"Are you hurt?" Jordan asked in a low tone and sidestepped so that he stood in front of her, blocking the view she might have had of the dead man lying on the floor.

"Um," she hesitated and ran her hands down her sides, checking for injuries, "no, no I'm not hurt."

Ryan slowly brought her attention back up and looked into Jordan's eyes. That was when he noticed she was crying, her eyes full of unshed tears and the most terrified expression he had ever seen on her face.

"Come on, let's get you out of here." Jordan offered and extended his hand out to her, hoping she'd take it and follow him. Instead, she lunged at him, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face into his chest before letting out the most heartbreaking sob he had ever heard.

"I was so scared!" She wailed and Jordan quickly hugged her right back, pressing a sweet little kiss against the side of her head. Her fingers grabbed on to the back of his shirt and he felt her knuckles against his back. There was no doubt in his mind that she was terrified, that she'd _be_ terrified for weeks to come, but for right now, he needed to get her outside and into the arms of her family.

The idea of them not knowing if she was alive or dead, hurt or uninjured, well that didn't sit well with him.

"Your dad's outside with Kylie." Jordan said softly and Ryan tensed in his embrace. She leaned her head back and met his eyes.

"Oh god." She groaned and pulled away from his hold. Jordan took her hand in his and guided her forward, towards the door, all the while shielding her gaze from the man on the floor.

Ryan moved swiftly out into the hall and Jordan tugged her towards him, slipping a comforting arm around her shoulders. Ryan leaned into him and wrapped her arms around his torso, her grip tightening with each pass of a sheet covered body they made.

As soon as they stepped outside, into the chilly night air, Ryan collapsed against him and Jordan carefully lowered them both to the ground, sitting her on the edge of the curb before dropping down to sit next to her.

"Mommy!"

Ryan's head whipped to the side and she let more tears flow from her eyes as Ken set Kylie on the ground, the little girl breaking out into a run.

Jordan gave Ryan another quick kiss on the side of her head and made his way to his feet, meeting Ken as the older man closed in on them. Kylie lunged at Ryan and buried herself against Ryan's chest, her mother hugging Kylie tight against her own body, afraid to let go of her little girl.

"Thank you." Ken nodded his head and Jordan smiled back at him.

"I'll leave you guys alone." Jordan dropped his gaze to the ground.

"No!" Ryan barked and clambered to her feet, Kylie still in her arms and resting against her hip now. "You can't just leave me."

"I have to go back in there." Jordan pointed out and turned his attention towards the hospital.

"Well that's fine but you're coming home with me. We'll wait for you." Ryan stated and Jordan stole a glance at Ken, who merely tilted his head in indifference. If that was what Ryan really wanted, then who was he to argue, he was just glad that his daughter was alive and unharmed.

"Okay." Jordan shook his head and made a move to walk away from the family. Before he could take a single step, Ryan reached out and grabbed his wrist, bringing his attention right back to her.

There was no time for him to ask her what she wanted, none at all, before Jordan knew what was happening, her lips were on his and she was kissing him with everything she had.

The fear, the terror, all of it melted away for a split second as Ryan gave in to her heart and let Jordan Parrish know, without words, that she wasn't going to let him go.

Kylie let out a squeal at the two of them and that's when Jordan came back to his senses, abruptly pulling away from Ryan and trying to keep his gaze away from the older man's, who was none other than Ryan's father.

"I'll be, uh, back soon. Hang tight." Jordan stumbled nervously over his words and Ryan gave him an encouraging nod.

Without any further distractions, Jordan took off in a run for the hospital leaving Ryan standing outside with her family.

It was moments like that, where he got to bring people back together, that he was glad he was a deputy.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Aw guys, I really appreciate the reviews I'm getting but I'd still love to know how more of you are feeling about this story. Do you like Jordan and Ryan together? Is there something you want to see more of, or something you want to see happen? Just leave me a review and let me know what you thought of the latest installment._**

 ** _I'd just love to hear from you guys who are reading this, do you like it, are you enjoying it, what's your favourite thing about it? Is there something you can't stand and want me to change?_**

 ** _Thank you so much to those that reviewed, followed and favourite!_**

 ** _A: I'm so glad you loved the last chapter! I hope this lived up to your expectation although there's definitely more of the aftermath coming up. thank you so much for the review!_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: And here's more! Thanks for the review!_**

 ** _If there's anything you guys want to say about anything, maybe you have questions that you want answered or things that you want cleared up, just let me know. Please leave me a review and I'll do my best to get back to you. If there's any questions you might have, feel free to PM me, I'm always up for a chat!_**


	17. Chapter 17

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 17:_**

There were more vehicles parked in Ryan's driveway than she had ever seen before; Jordan's cruiser was parked haphazardly along the end of the driveway while her own car sat idle next to her father's. Everyone seemed to be okay though and while Ryan was still terrified, her body shaking slightly due to the events that had occurred at the hospital, she was alive, she was breathing and there wasn't really anything more she could ask for.

Kylie and her father were perfectly alright too and at first glance, Jordan seemed unharmed. The night sky was dark and deceiving though because there was something pulling at the back of her mind, something to suggest that maybe everyone wasn't okay, but she'd start by getting herself together.

The sight of the carnage was still fresh in her mind and no matter how hard she tried to force the disturbing images out of her head, she couldn't. The man, lying motionless, dead on the floor outside of her sanctuary, would be with her for years to come and Ryan wasn't entirely prepared for that. Every time she squeezed her eyes closed, there he was, bloody, cut up and gone, the vacant look in his eyes nothing short of haunting.

Ryan had managed to keep herself relatively together while driving home and when she had followed her father into the house, she was only shaking the tiniest little bit, trying to put on a brave face for Kylie, who continued to stare at her. Ryan even managed to force a smile in Kylie's direction, hoping that she could convince her little girl that she was okay, without actually having to say anything.

It wasn't until Jordan came up behind her and set his hand on her lower back that Ryan pulled herself out of her own head. He drew her attention towards him and forced a smile onto her face, motioning towards the stairs with his hand, Ken watching the two of them carefully, trying to decide how _he_ was going to deal with everything that had happened.

Ryan would need him but Kylie would need him even more, especially if Ryan reverted back to the way she had been shortly after Cole's unfortunate demise. Ryan would be quiet, shaky, prone to outbursts, not to mention the fact that for days after the dreaded phone call, she had tossed and turned during the nights, fighting off the sobs that constantly threatened to get out of her body.

He hadn't known much about what actually went down at the hospital, aside from what the news had said, which wasn't much at all. He knew that there were attackers, he knew that people's lives were in danger, hell, the female reporter on the television hadn't known how many people were dead except that it was a rising death toll. As soon as he had seen the screen, Ken had gathered up Kylie and headed right over to the hospital with the hope that Ryan would be alive and that he'd be able to hand his granddaughter back to her mother before the sun came up.

"Why don't you go get cleaned up Ry? I can handle putting this one to bed tonight." Ken offered and Ryan's head jerked around, her eyes locking on her father's.

"I'll help you." Jordan tossed out and Ryan's gaze darted back towards the young deputy.

"You don't let her out of your sight." Ryan said in a low tone and pointed a finger in Kylie's direction, the little girl clinging to her grandpa as he held her against his hip, his arms squeezing her tight against him, almost as though he was fearful that if he loosened his grip, he might lose her. "And don't you dare think that you're going home tonight dad."

Ken nodded his understanding, shifted the little girl in his grasp and made his way up the stairs, pausing about halfway at the sound of Kylie's whimper. He set her on the step and watched in awe as Kylie marched down the stairs and took Ryan's legs in a giant hug, burying her face into her thighs.

Kylie loosened her grip once Ryan's hand fell gently on her head and when Ryan squatted down to get to Kylie's eye-level, she immediately wrapped her arms around her baby girl, hugging her tight and taking in the feeling of holding her child.

The idea sprung into her mind that Kylie had come very close to losing her mother and Ryan was well aware of how unfair it would be for her to grow up without both of her parents. There was no doubt in her mind that her own father would step up if he ever had to but Kylie deserved Ryan, she deserved to grow up knowing what a mother's love felt like.

"Mommy I love you." Kylie murmured and Ryan pressed a kiss against the side of her head, sucking in a breath in an attempt to remain somewhat calm, at least while she was in the presence of her daughter.

"I love you bigger Ky." Ryan whispered right back and gave her tiny body one last squeeze before releasing her. Kylie turned her back to Ryan at the same time that the older woman stood up, her eyes never leaving Kylie's back as she climbed back up to her grandpa.

As Kylie took Ken's hand, Ryan felt the exhaustion of the night kicking in, the emotions from the horrendous incident took over and she turned to face Jordan with tears welling up in her eyes and her shoulders slumping forward.

He reached out towards her and drew her towards him, taking a step in her direction to close the distance between their bodies. Jordan slipped his other arm around her shoulders and tucked her into his chest, her hands resting against his shoulders as she clung to him with trembling hands.

"It's okay." Jordan said in a soothing tone and Ryan sucked in a breath, hoping to keep her crying subdued until Kylie wasn't within eyesight. As soon as the little girl and her grandpa disappeared into the purple bedroom, Jordan gave Ryan's shoulders a hard squeeze and rested his chin on the top of her head.

"I was so scared." She fought to get the words out and Jordan merely held her tighter, trying to convey that he would be right there for her until she said otherwise. He knew how terrifying it must have been, he saw how scared she was when she came out of her hiding spot and no matter how many years he had spent in law enforcement, there was no way he could've prepared himself for the carnage, the absolute destruction, that had been awaiting him at the hospital.

"I know." He soothed and ran his palm over her back, feeling the tenseness in her shoulders. She let out a quiet sob and Jordan leaned back slightly, forcing her away from him a few inches so that he could look her in the eyes.

Ryan had tears blurring her vision and she blinked a few times to try to get a better look at him but every time she blinked, she pushed the tears out of her eyes and felt them running down her face. Jordan's thumb swiped across her cheek in a lame attempt to brush the tears away but at the motion, she just cried harder.

She had been so close to dying, so close to meeting death and yet she had managed to pull herself together long enough for her to lock herself in the closet. While it hadn't been the ideal situation, she knew that it was the only reason she was alive at that very moment, otherwise that sword wielding maniac would've make quick work of her.

It had been her sanctuary, her little slice of heaven in a world that had turned to hell, and Ryan felt her body heaving with the sobs that were now wracking her body.

She ached all over, her brain felt like it was pounding against her skull and her entire body felt as though she might just keel over. Jordan supported her as she stood, leaning against him as his hand continued to make motions across her back.

"How about we get you into a nice, hot bath and then to bed?" Jordan suggested and Ryan didn't budge in his hold. Holding his breath, he contemplated his next move.

On one hand he could scoop her up in his arms and carry her up the stairs in search of a bathroom but he didn't feel entirely comfortable with what would come next. He'd have to strip her down and set her in the tub and while the idea of being intimate with her had crossed his mind on more than one occasion, now didn't seem like the right time to fulfill his fantasy of seeing her naked.

On the other hand, she didn't seem to want to move and Jordan wasn't entirely sure what her mindset was like. She could be stable, sure but after having walked her through the halls full of the dead and injured, he knew that there was no way she was okay mentally, but at the same time, he didn't want to push her. Pushing her could cause her to lash out and that was definitely the opposite of what he wanted her to do, he wanted her to be compliant, as much as she possibly could be.

"I sleep on the couch." Ryan forced the words out and yet they were still shaky, still unsure.

"I know but I think maybe tonight you should try the bed again. If you want, I'll stay right beside you for as long as you need." Jordan's tone was soft and slightly comforting and if Ryan hadn't continued to see the disturbing images in her head, maybe she'd be able to get herself together, but that wasn't the case, not at all.

"I-I can't." She stuttered and recalled all the nights that she had spent curled up with Cole in the very bed in question. He had held her tight, promised that he'd make sure her and Kylie would be protected. They'd make love and murmur sweet promises to always love each other.

It hurt too much to even think about going back into that bedroom, especially with another man. In her heart she knew that Cole would want her to be happy, he'd want Kylie to have a good, strong father figure in her life, but there was still reluctance there. The memories would come crashing back to her if she even set foot in her bedroom, no matter what Jordan claimed he'd do.

"Okay, whatever you want Ryan." Jordan let out a sigh of defeat and prayed that she'd eventually snap out of it. She couldn't spend the rest of her life on the couch, and maybe all it would take was some simple remodeling, but Jordan was going to have to come up with a solution sometime in the near future in order to get her back into her bed, where she rightfully belonged.

Until that happened though, he wasn't going to push her, he was going to do his best to support her with whatever it was that she needed and if that happened to be her couch to sleep on, he'd curl up with her and hold her tight.

"Thank you." She mumbled and made a move to pull away from him. Jordan let his hand fall away from her back but he gently took hold of her wrist, sliding his fingers over her warm skin before intertwining his fingers with hers. She glanced down at their hands and twisted to face the stairs, taking a step forward and mounting the first one.

Jordan hesitated for a split second but followed her, letting her lead him up the rest of the stairs, down the hall and into the bathroom, pausing outside of Kylie's bedroom to catch a glimpse of the little girl curled up in her pillows with her grandfather, who was reading her a bedtime story as she clutched the stuffed bear against her chest.

As soon as the two of them were in the bathroom, Ryan glanced back at him and pointed towards the door, which Jordan promptly shut behind them. He felt her let go of his hand and let her without putting up much of a fuss, even if he had loved the feeling of her hand in his, but she needed him now, she needed him to be the strong one and take care of her until she could close her eyes and not want to scream at the image embedded in her mind.

She turned her back towards him and leaned over the tub, which Jordan noticed, was much larger than a regular sized tub. Ryan reached over to the handles and twisted the one with the red circle on it, clearly interested in a hot bath as opposed to an icy soak. The tub itself looked more like one of the Jacuzzi type bathtubs and when Ryan twisted her head to face him, she caught his look of apprehension at merely being in the bathroom with her.

"I told Cole before we bought a house that it needed to have a giant soaker tub and a bench seat in the bedroom window." Ryan stated softly and she gave him a sad smile at the memory. "The bench seat is useless now seeing as I won't go in the bedroom unless I have to, but this tub always makes me feel a little better."

"Let's see if it works then." Jordan smiled right back at her and she nodded her head, his radiant smile catching her off guard. "Did you want me to leave and come back once you're in the water? Or I can leave you alone while you're in the tub-"

"I was hoping maybe you'd join me." Ryan cut him off in a soft tone. "I used to cuddle up with Cole in the tub when I was pregnant, it'd make me feel protected, like nothing in the world could hurt me."

"Oh, I see." Jordan's smile faltered at the mention of her deceased husband but, true to his words, he wasn't about to turn her down.

"I just think maybe you might have the same effect." She said, her voice still low. "I mean, I understand if you don't want to but I just…I really need to feel like nothing can hurt me, at least for the time being."

Jordan considered her request for a few seconds. He knew that under normal circumstance he'd jump at the chance to get in the bath with Ryan but these weren't normal circumstances, these were horrible, awful, terrifying circumstances that would forever stick with Ryan. If he could alleviate her worries, even if it was only temporarily, who was he to turn her down?

"I guess we can, uh try it." Jordan tried to play it cool but he knew that she could see right through his act. He was nervous, she knew it, she understood why, but she wasn't about to back down now. If she could get him into the bath with her, if she could curl up against him and let the weight of the world drift away for even just a few minutes, it'd be worth it.

Ryan nodded her head at him and bent over, extending her hand out into the water, which was much too hot. She made quick work of turning the cold handle and when she ran her hand under the faucet, she let out a contented sigh, the water was nearly perfect as it flowed into the tub.

"Bubbles?" She cocked her head to the side and straightened up, catching Jordan's gaze.

"For sure." Jordan nodded and watched intently as Ryan grabbed a bottle and flipped the cap up, pouring a little bit of the liquid into the tub. Bubbles immediately erupted from where the running water hit the surface and Ryan took a deep inhale, taking in the citrusy scent of the bubble bath.

"Come on." She turned her back to him and held her breath, hoping that she was right about him. In the time that she had known him, Jordan Parrish had been nothing but a gentleman and every second that she spent next to him was a second that she could let go of her worries and relax.

Jordan's eyes remained on Ryan's back, his breath catching in his throat as she pulled her scrub shirt off over her head. His eyes immediately fell on the small tattoo on her right shoulder before he scanned across her smooth skin and spotted a matching tattoo on her left shoulder. Little wings were inked onto her skin in black and white, under one was Kylie's name in fancy script and a date and under the other was Cole's name in the same fancy script followed by another date.

"Is that the day she was born?" Jordan questioned and took a step towards her, setting his hand on her shoulder, the one with Kylie's name scrawled there.

"Yeah." Ryan sighed in response and reached her one hand back, grabbing the clasp on the back of her bra and squeezing it, freeing the garment from her skin.

"And the other one?"

She felt Jordan's hands ghost over her shoulders, pushing the straps of her bra down. The undergarment fell to the floor in front of her and she leaned back against him, twisting her head to see him out of the corner of her eye.

"The day Cole died." She said firmly but Jordan knew she was trying to keep it together. Cole was always a sore subject, not that he could blame her, but she always tried to seem strong and put together. He couldn't even begin to imagine the pain she had to deal with every day knowing that Kylie was going to grow up without the father who had helped to create her.

Jordan leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss against the tattoo with Cole's name, silently saying a prayer for the girl in front of him. Ryan shuddered at the contact but didn't object, so Jordan moved his lips over to the other tattoo and pressed a kiss against it as well.

Her hands went to her hips and she pushed down the waist band of her scrub pants, as well as her underwear, and when both garments hit the floor, she stepped out of them, pulling her socks off as she lifted her legs up. Without turning to meet his eyes, she climbed into the tub and settled with her back against the side, the water just high enough to cover her up to her neck, if she slumped down a little bit.

"Do you have any tattoos?" She asked quietly and watched as he untucked his uniform shirt from his pants before working away at the buttons. Jordan tilted his head to the side but shook his head no.

"Do you have any more?" He asked right back and Ryan forced a smile onto her face before she too shook her head no.

"When my dad goes, I want to get something in between the wings but that's not going to be for a long time." She murmured and lifted her one hand up, resting it on the side of the tub before twisting the handles and ceasing the water flow. Jordan finished with his shirt and let it drop to the ground in a pile. Her eyes were locked onto his face though as he moved his hands down and began working away at his belt.

"Makes sense." Jordan gave her a nod and shucked off his pants, leaving him standing there in nothing more than his boxers and socks. Ryan's gaze on his face never faltered though and Jordan lifted his legs up one at a time, freeing his feet from the socks. When he grabbed the waistband of his boxers, he never broke eye contact with her and it wasn't until he was sitting across from her in the tub that she finally looked away from his face.

"I'm coming over there." Ryan said softly and shifted so that her back was against his side, his arm coming up to drape over her shoulder. She brought her knees up and rested them against his thigh as she curled into his body, trying to get as close to him as she possibly could.

"There's something you should know." Jordan broke the silence that had fallen between them. "Tonight, at work, the same things that attacked the hospital came at all us deputies."

He felt her tense but she remained silent next to him. He had been debating in his head all night whether or not to tell her that he had been in much the same situation as she had been, except he hadn't managed to get himself into a closet.

"I'm sorry." She sighed and relaxed against him, turning her body slightly so that it was easier to face him. Jordan's arm moved away from her shoulders and banded around her waist as he pulled her tight against him, hoping that he wouldn't scare her off with his next confession.

"I took a blade to the side, hurt like hell and for a while there I thought I was dying." Jordan told her, his voice rather firm considering the content of his words. "I could feel myself falling out of consciousness."

"Why didn't you say something earlier?" She asked in a hushed tone and lifted a shaky hand up, running her fingers along the side of his jaw.

"I just want you to know that I was thinking of you, the whole time all I could think of was you." He smiled at her and Ryan shook her head.

"You could've died?" She set her sights on him and her eyes bore into his. "You can't die, you can't just leave me."

Jordan bowed his head in understanding and while he was well aware of his inability to control the circumstances of his life, he knew that he'd try his hardest to stick around for Ryan. He wouldn't go down without a fight, he'd try to keep a level head and attempt to avoid potentially fatal situations, he'd do all he could to make sure that he didn't leave Ryan the same way that Cole had, but that didn't mean he'd be able to stop something bad from happening at all.

"I'm not going anywhere." Jordan whispered and pressed a kiss to the side of her head. She shifted tighter against him and moved onto her knees beside him before setting her hands on his shoulders. Jordan faced her straight on and she closed the distance between their foreheads, pressing her against his.

"I like you, a lot." Ryan held her breath once the words escaped. She looked at him through her lashes and waited for his response.

"I like you a lot too." Jordan said, watching as Ryan gave him the tiniest nod.

"If you ever died, I wouldn't know where to put your tattoo on my body. Do you see the dilemma?" Ryan remarked with a sad look on her face. Jordan couldn't help but smile at the triviality of a tattoo but he knew that it was merely a façade for something deeper. She was terrified of losing more people close to her and maybe masking her true emotions with something as lame as a tattoo joke wasn't necessarily the best bet but it didn't matter to Jordan, not in the slightest.

He wasn't about to give her up, not for anything.

Without another word from him, he tightened his grip on her and hugged her against him, pressing a kiss against the end of her nose. Her forehead was still pressed against his as he did so and as soon as his lips moved away from her nose, she tipped her head and kissed him on the lips.

Seconds later, when she pulled away and settled down next to him, he couldn't help but smile. Ryan was okay, _he_ was okay and something in his gut was telling him that, together, they'd both _be okay_.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Are you all liking Jordan and Ryan together? Is there something you want to see more of, or something you want to see happen? Just leave me a review and let me know what you thought of the latest installment. Also, how do you guys feel about a Ryan and Jordan story for season 5?_**

 ** _I'd just love to hear from you guys who are reading this, do you like it, are you enjoying it, what's your favourite thing about it? Is there something you can't stand and want me to change?_**

 ** _Thank you so much to those that reviewed, followed and favourite!_**

 ** _A: Oh my word, I appreciate you saying that they don't need each other, it might not seem like anything big but to me, that's amazing, thank you so much! Oh no, Ryan and the supernatural, while it's sort of on the backburner now, it hasn't been forgotten, there's lots more for Ryan to experience!_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Thank you so much!_**

 ** _If there's anything you guys want to say about anything, maybe you have questions that you want answered or things that you want cleared up, just let me know. Please leave me a review and I'll do my best to get back to you. If there's any questions you might have, feel free to PM me, I'm always up for a chat!_**


	18. Chapter 18

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 18:_**

With her hair still wet from the bath that she had shared with Jordan, Ryan wandered down the hall as she exited the bedroom that she had once shared with Cole. She felt much cleaner and her body had relaxed in the hot water of the tub and now, decked out in an oversized t-shirt and a pair of plaid shorts, Ryan planned on going to bed, which meant making herself comfortable on the couch.

It definitely sounded a lot easier than she figured it would be because every time she shut her eyes, the images were still there, ingrained into her head and haunting her at every turn. Jordan hadn't left the house yet and she wasn't sure he was going to, not until it became apparent that he needed to head to his own place.

After their bath together, Jordan had thrown his own clothes back on, which Ryan was quick to point out wouldn't be very comfortable for sleeping in. Between her efforts and Ken's, the two of them had come up with a reasonable solution: there were a few t-shirts belonging to her dad lingering around the house and Ken had rounded up a pair of sweatpants that looked awfully similar to a pair of pants that had belonged to Cole before he passed away.

Sucking in a breath, Ryan moved forward, towards the stairs, but paused just outside of Kylie's bedroom. The door was wide open, the lights were all off and Ken was laying on the bed with Kylie safely wrapped in his arms. Their bodies didn't move as she leaned against the doorframe, watching for a few seconds with a soft smile on her face. This was exactly what she wanted, her father and her child safely in her sights.

"Goodnight dad, goodnight Ky." Ryan murmured and reached her hand out, wrapping her fingers around the doorknob before pulling it closed, careful not to make any noises as she did so. Once the door was secured shut, Ryan let out a sigh and continued moving towards the stairs.

She took them one at a time and felt her body tensing up at the idea of having to shut her eyes and try to sleep. The nightmares that had taken over her dreams right after she lost Cole had been bad and Ryan hadn't even seen what actually happened, the thought of trying to fight off her own horrifying mental images made her head ache even more than it already was.

Once her feet were on the main floor, Ryan crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head, desperate to pull herself together before she went in search of Jordan.

"You okay?"

Ryan jumped at the sound of his voice, let out a startled gasp and pressed her back against the wall, the railing digging in to her lower back. She lifted a hand up and rested it over her thumping heart and it was at that moment that Jordan rushed forward, coming out of the kitchen, and taking her into his arms.

She took in a big gulp of air and held her breath, hoping that her heart would slow down relatively quickly. Jordan hadn't meant to scare her, she knew that much, but it didn't mean he hadn't.

"I'm sorry." Jordan whispered and banded his arms around her, bringing her closer to him, close enough so that her head rested on his shoulder. Jordan pressed a kiss to the side of her head and ran his hands over her back in an attempt to soothe her. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"I know." Ryan breathed the words out and sucked in another breath, waiting for her heart to return to its normal pace. "I know."

"Are you okay though?" Jordan repeated his earlier question and Ryan found herself at a loss for words at how to answer the question.

Was she okay?

How could she _be_ okay?

Was there some way to deal with what she had just witnessed that would let her feel like the entire world hadn't just turned against her?

Jordan's hand slid up her spine, causing her to shiver under his touch, and came to rest on the base of her neck in a calming gesture. Shaking slightly in his hold, she leaned her head back and glanced up at the side of his face, catching the slight sparkle in his eye.

"I don't know." She answered, knowing full well that there was going to be quite some time before she'd feel like life was getting back to normal.

So many people had been injured, killed even, and Ryan had seen too many blood soaked bodies just lying on the floor in the hospital. The once sterile hallways had been caked with crimson spatters and pools, staining the white tiles lining the floor. That was the main image that was frozen in her mind.

The other main image was the man she had been trying to help before the mysterious man in black appeared and put an end to all of her efforts. The lifeless body of the patient who had come in for stitches and had lost his life was humbling to say the least. Had the man been running 'what ifs' through his head before he had died, what ifs such as 'what if I hadn't come to the hospital' and 'what if I had been just that little bit more careful'?

Life was definitely precious and if Ryan hadn't really felt that way shortly after Cole had passed, well she certainly did now.

What if the figure had been a little bit quicker, what if she hadn't managed to get her wits about her and find that closet to hide in? What would've happened to Kylie, would she grow up knowing how much Ryan loved her, or how proud of her Ryan really was?

Yes she called Kylie the devil every once in a while but there were times when her daughter acted out, frustrating Ryan, driving her up the wall, but that didn't mean she didn't love her daughter. If anything ever happened to Kylie, Ryan wouldn't even know what to do; she'd be lost, confused and broken.

Picturing Kylie living the rest of her life without her mother pained Ryan to no end. Sure Ken would care for the little girl, he'd protect her and make sure she had everything she could possibly need but Ryan had grown up without her own mother and she knew that it wasn't easy. It hurt, every day, and there was nothing she could do to change that now.

"Ryan, what are you thinking about?" Jordan spoke softly, breaking into her thoughts. She figured that she had been staring, at nothing in particular, and had lost her focus on him. "Talk to me, please? I promise I won't judge-"

"Kylie." Ryan cut him off and dropped her forehead down to rest against his shoulder once more. "I'm thinking about Kylie."

Jordan inhaled a shaky breath, gently pulling his hands away from her. She clung to him though and Jordan twisted slightly, setting his arm around her shoulders. Ryan leaned into his side and let him gingerly push her into the living room. Her feet moved alongside his and after a few seconds of silence, he ushered her down onto the couch, which was covered in clean sheets, before dropping down to sit beside her. Ryan curled into his side and reached across, grabbing hold of the hand that wasn't on her shoulder. Clutching his hand between both of hers, she took in a few deep breaths, finally feeling her heart starting to return to its normal rhythm.

"It's okay to be scared." Jordan said, trying to keep his voice low and soothing. "I can't even begin to imagine how terrifying being in that closet was but you did really good Ryan, okay, don't, for one second, think that you didn't do a good thing."

"I didn't know…that man, he came in f-for stitches." She fought off the sobs threatening to rush out of her throat. "He just needed stitches…"

"Ryan, I'm here okay, I'm not going anywhere." Jordan uttered, silently praying that she'd stay strong, well as strong as she could considering the entire situation. He had been honest when he said that he couldn't even begin to imagine how terrifying it had been in that closet but he needed her to know that he had her back, he was right there with her.

He wasn't going to leave her or abandon her, not until she was okay, not until she said it was _okay_. Jordan had been thinking of her while he had been shooting at the figures in the sheriff's station, all he wanted at the time was to get out of the building and find Ryan, take her in his arms and hold her. As soon as he had found out that the hospital had been attacked as well, his heart had felt it had just stopped.

There was no way he was going to rest easy until he saw Ryan with his own two eyes, alive and well. When he had heard her voice, small and scared, echoing out of the closet, words couldn't even begin to describe how relieved he had been at that very second.

"I'm glad that you're okay and I'm glad that Kylie's okay." Jordan broke the silence that had fallen over them. "I'll do whatever I can to help you, if you need me."

"Okay." She whimpered and Jordan shifted on the couch, readjusting his hold on her. She seized the opportunity and slipped her legs over his lap, snuggling even further into his hold, if at all possible. His grip on her tightened and Jordan faced her, catching the tears welling up in her eyes.

"You're dad gave me your sleeping pills." Jordan announced and pulled his hand out of her grip. He leaned towards her, tucked his hand into the pocket on his borrowed pants and dug out the small prescription bottle before offering them to her. "You don't have to take them if you don't want to but he told me that they helped you sleep after, well, you know."

"After Cole died." Ryan nodded and gingerly took hold of the bottle.

It was about half empty and Ryan looked at the label on the side of the bottle. Part of her wanted nothing more than to take the recommended dose and drift off into a world of slumber but another part of her knew that she wasn't quite ready to face her nightmares.

Peeling her eyes off the words now blurring from her tears, she looked at Jordan and blinked sending the tears onto her cheeks.

"Tell me what happened to you tonight." She instructed but there was absolutely no conviction behind her words.

Jordan gave her shoulders a gently squeeze and he blew out a breath, "one second I'm talking to the sheriff and the next second I look over and there's this black figure standing over my fellow deputy."

"Where did he come from?"

Jordan considered her question and thought back to what he had witnessed, "it looked like he came out of thin air. The one turned to smoke in front of my very eyes and reappeared in a different spot."

"Did it have a silver face? Sharp teeth?" She asked quickly, fearing that if she didn't get her words out fast enough they might disappear behind a sob.

"No eyes though, just a mask." Jordan tilted his head to the side and rested it against the top of hers. "I opened fire on it with my gun but nothing seemed to stop it. Before I knew it, there were two of them and one got me in the side. I was bleeding but it was weird, like a black colour."

"Did you get them?" She pressed, a sigh escaping her lips. "What were they?"

"I don't know Ry, I have no idea. One second they were there, attacking us, and the next second they were just gone."

"Like they disappeared? Into thin air." Her tone was laced with disbelief and Jordan found himself sympathizing with her. If he was in her position, he'd think he was absolutely nuts.

What on the face of the earth had the ability to disappear into a cloud of smoke and reappear elsewhere? What the hell kind of person wore eerie silver and black masks and wielded razor sharp katanas? What didn't back down while it was being shot at? Nothing that Jordan had ever seen before, nothing _human_.

"I'm not sure. I was hurt, pretty bad, I was losing consciousness. It all seems-"

"Scary Jordan, it's scary." She threw in for him and lifted her arm up, swiping at her tears with the back of her hand. With a shaky breath, she continued speaking, "weird things happen in Beacon Hills, you know that, I know that, but what the hell happened tonight?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." Jordan supplied with a shake of his head. "The whole thing seems surreal."

"Well it happened, the bodies littering the hospital are proof enough of that." Ryan spat out, obviously perturbed by all of the senseless murders that had happened. There was a massacre at the hospital, a place that was supposed to take care of people and help them, the hospital was never a threat, not to anyone or anything, so why had it been targeted, what was there to gain by targeting the hospital? "Jordan, I don't know what I'm supposed to do, what I'm supposed to believe anymore."

"Me neither."

"Yeah?" She pondered, glancing up at him. He nodded his head and gave her a shrug. "Well, what happened to your side then? Is it still injured?"

Jordan grabbed hold of the bottom hem of the t-shirt and pulled it upwards, showing Ryan the spot on his skin where the injury had been just hours ago. There was hardly a mark there now and Jordan was confused, thankful of course but highly confused, over how quickly the pain had stopped.

"I looked at it at first and black smoke came out of the cut but all of a sudden it just stopped hurting, it healed itself."

"Jordan, how big of a cut are you talking about?" Ryan inquired and ran her fingertips across his smooth, flawless skin.

"Few inches long." Jordan answered and shuddered at her touch. "Your guess is as good as mine Ry, I have no idea what happened. In all honesty, I should be in a lot of pain right now, there should be blood, but the wound healed itself, it was almost like it disappeared-"

"Into thin air?" Ryan broke in and held her breath after her words. Jordan shook his head in disbelief and found his mind wandering back to how much it had hurt when the blade met his skin. That type of pain, the blinding, searing, red hot pain that had erupted from his side, shouldn't have just disappeared.

That wasn't how the human body worked. He figured that he would've needed medical attention fairly soon after the wound had been inflicted but it had just stopped hurting, it had stopped bleeding and the pain had evaporated, exactly like the figures had.

"I promise you, I won't let anything happen to you, so long as I'm around." Jordan promised, Ryan nodding her understanding.

She didn't say a word in response, what was there _to_ say? She believed him, she believed what he had said, that the mysterious figures had disappeared just as quickly as they had appeared. She had seen their faces, or what she could constitute as a face, and she knew how terrifying the attackers had been.

They wielded massive, razor sharp blades and had shown up in the hospital, two of them. She remembered now, she remembered seeing them near the front desk, and that's when it hit her, there was someone else there with them, someone who seemed slightly out of place.

"Stiles was there!" Ryan gasped and threw herself forward, trying to get off the couch. Jordan caught her around the waist and drew her back against him, hugging her tight. She relaxed slightly in his hold and felt her heart pounding against her chest yet again. "Stiles was there, he was right there with them!"

Jordan looked into her eyes and searched for anything off, once he was confident that she wasn't in a state of total panic, he scooted his butt to the edge of the couch and released her, watching as she leaned forward, set the prescription bottle on the table and grabbed the piece of paper and the pen residing on the surface nearby.

"What are you talking about Ryan?" Jordan asked in a soft tone and watched as she scribbled on the paper. He watched her doodling on the page, a rectangle on one side of the paper with three 'x's in front of it and two behind it.

"Stiles was at the desk." She muttered and put a line through the two circles on the end of the line containing three. "He was there, with them, at least it looked like he was with them. I don't know, maybe I didn't get a good look, maybe I…I saw the guy behind the desk get stabbed. I saw him dying…"

Jordan set his hand on her back and she threw the pen at the coffee table. It bounced off and went flying across the room, landing on the floor out of sight. Ryan turned to face Jordan, who was leaning towards her with a soft expression on his face.

"There was nothing you could've done." Jordan whispered and she gave him a nod of understanding.

"I ran." She sighed, her back tensing under his touch.

"You did what you had to do to survive, you kept yourself alive."

"I watched people die." She grumbled.

Reaching out, he wrapped his fingers around the bottle of sleeping pills and then gently moved the two of them back further on the couch, shifting his own body into a laying down position. Ryan followed his lead and curled up against him as she lay down next to him, her head resting on his chest, her ear directly over his heart. His arm came around her middle and he clung to her at the same time as he offered her the pills. Once she had taken hold of the bottle, he maneuvered his arm upwards and pulled the blanket down onto them from off the back of the couch.

She carefully popped the top off the pill bottle, slipped one of the pills out onto his chest and put the lid back on. He continued to hold onto her as she leaned back and set the prescription bottle on the coffee table, quickly situating herself against his side.

Her fingers pinched the sleeping pill and she opened her mouth, popping the capsule onto her tongue. Jordan gave her an encouraging nod as she tipped her head back and swallowed, sending the capsule down into the dark pit of her stomach.

"Did you want to try one?" She asked softly, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

"I think I'll be okay." Jordan gave her a sad smile and Ryan relaxed against his side, her ear coming to rest over his heart once again. "Just try to get some sleep, okay?"

"Okay, but you have to promise me that you'll figure this out, you have to figure out what Stiles had to do with the attack." Ryan murmured and fought off the contented moan at the feeling of his body next to hers. "You have to promise me that we'll be okay…we have to be okay."

"I promise Ryan, I do."

"We have to be okay." She mumbled and let her eyes fall shut. Jordan held his breath as she sucked in a gulp of air and took one final swipe at her cheeks, wiping away the tears that had dried up minutes ago. "I can't lose you too."

"I'm not going anywhere Ry."

"Okay." She let out a small yawn and nuzzled her face into his chest. His arm tightened around her middle and he rolled his body slightly so that he was now on his side, facing her. She tipped her head back and looked into his eyes. "I really like you Jordan; I want you to stay with me."

"I'm not going anywhere, not tonight anyways."

"Hmm, okay." She hummed in response. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, but you know I mean every word. I'm not going anywhere and I promise that we'll be okay, you, me, Kylie and your dad."

"All of us." She agreed wistfully. "You, me, Kylie and my dad."

Ryan's eyes fluttered shut and she relaxed even more in his arms. He took in the peaceful look on her face and wondered what she had gone through while being locked inside the closet. She was terrified, scarred from what she had seen and he just hoped that she'd make it through. Ryan was a strong woman, she had Kylie to keep her going, but that didn't mean she'd be able to fight the mental pictures, the horrific mental pictures, which would no doubt be creeping in her head for months, maybe even years to come.

Jordan listened carefully for her breathing to even out and after a few minutes it did, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

He promised to make sure that they were okay, that Ryan was okay, that her dad was okay and that Kylie was okay. They were as much his family now as they were hers, she had made sure of that, she had made him realize that when she had said that he had to protect 'us'.

He wasn't going to take her sleepy ramblings as a joke, he wasn't going to brush them off, he was going to do exactly what he promised he would. He'd get to the bottom of everything, he'd look into Stiles and his reason for being at the hospital prior to the attack, but that would all come after, after he made sure she was okay, after he made sure that she could sleep on her own.

Listening to her soft, even breathing, Jordan shifted slightly and tested the waters. She didn't move, which is precisely what he was hoping for. Gathering up all of his courage, he slipped his free arm down and under her knees and he finagled his way into a half assed sitting position. Still holding her around her middle, he struggled for a few seconds to get to his feet, with her in his arms. Once he was standing, the blanket having fallen to the cushions, he let out a low chuckle and gingerly readjusted his hold on her.

Without another second of hesitation, Jordan began making his way towards the stairs with Ryan still sleeping in his hold. When he hit the top of the stairs, he paused and glanced back down at where he had just come from.

This was exactly where he wanted to be, with Ryan and her family, with Kylie sleeping soundly in the room a few feet away, her mother alive and unharmed. This was everything that he wished for when he was younger and he wasn't going to give it up. He'd protect them all as best as he could and there wouldn't be a damn thing he wouldn't do to keep them safe.

Glancing down at the peaceful look on Ryan's face, Jordan sucked in a breath and continued making his way towards her bedroom. Once he was inside, he set her down on top of the covers, grabbed the blanket off the end of the bed and spread it out over top of her.

As she squirmed the slightest little bit, he slipped under the blanket with her and took her in his arms yet again.

No, he wasn't going to give up an opportunity to hold her and for as long as she'd have him, he'd be right next to her.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Ryan's starting to share her uneasiness about the weird things happening in Beacon Hills, what do you think she's going to do about it? Do you think she'll go a little crazy or do you think she'll handle the overwhelming information with confidence?_**

 ** _Aw guys, I really appreciate the reviews I'm getting but I'd still love to know how more of you are feeling about this story. Do you like Jordan and Ryan together? Is there something you want to see more of, or something you want to see happen with any of the characters? Just leave me a review and let me know what you thought of the latest installment._**

 ** _I love hearing what you guys are thinking._**

 ** _Thank you so much to those that reviewed, followed and favourite!_**

 ** _Alice Williams: Thank you so much, I hope you continue to enjoy it!_**

 ** _A: I'd like to think they work well together :) I'm glad that you're enjoying their relationship as well, thank you so much for your kind, kind words!_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Ah yes, Ryan is haunted by many, many things! We can only hope that she doesn't totally lose it lol. thanks so much!_**

 ** _If there's anything you guys want to say about anything, maybe you have questions that you want answered or things that you want cleared up, just let me know. Please leave me a review and I'll do my best to get back to you. If there's any questions you might have, feel free to PM me, I'm always up for a chat!_**


	19. Chapter 19

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 19:_**

The first thing that Ryan noticed when she woke up was that she definitely wasn't on the couch. Huh, well she could distinctly remember falling asleep in the living room as she curled up with Jordan but now she wasn't where she had been when she had shut her eyes. With a heavy sigh, she stretched her body out, sending her arms out to the sides before opening her eyes up wide and taking in the bright sunlight filtering into the room.

Oh, well, this looked familiar, and Ryan knew exactly what had happened. At some point, after she had fallen asleep, Jordan had carried her up to her bedroom and set her on the bed. Fair enough. Ryan didn't figure that the deputy seemed like the 'sleep on the couch' kind of guy, not when he didn't have to but that didn't stop her heart from picking up in pace when she looked around the room.

The last time she had slept in her own bed seemed like ages ago and it was just a day or so after Cole had died. The idea of not sharing the bed with the man who had been by her side while she was sleeping since she was a teenager had freaked her right out. She remembered the near panic attack she had fought through at the thought that she would _never_ sleep next to Cole again.

Cole, poor, unfortunate Cole. Ryan let out a loud groan and rolled onto her side, burying her face into the pillow that he had always used. She sucked in a breath and tried to fight off the tears that were welling up in her eyes at the mere thought of her late husband.

After her own near death experience, the idea of Cole's last minutes flooded her head and she wondered what he was thinking about. Was it her, was his last thought of Ryan, the girl he had loved since he was a teenager? Was it Kylie, his daughter, his own flesh and blood? Perhaps he hadn't been thinking of either of them when he finally took his last breath, perhaps he was focused on getting through his horrific ordeal.

It seemed trivial now that he was gone but Ryan would've loved for Cole's last thought to be of Kylie and her.

Ryan turned over and lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling above the bed. She had noticed she was alone as soon as she had woken up but that wasn't something of concern. She knew that her dad had spent the night and Jordan was most likely still in the house somewhere. He didn't seem like the type of guy to just leave, unless he absolutely had to.

With another loud sigh, Ryan forced herself up into a sitting position and took a long, hard look around the room. There were no photographs on any of the walls, there was nothing out that suggested anyone even used the room at all, which is precisely what Ryan was going for. The less she had to deal with the bedroom, the better off she'd feel and if that meant treating it more like a guest room than a room that had once been her bedroom, so be it.

Twisting her hips to the side, she threw her legs over the edge of the bed and planted her feet on the ground before standing up and stretching her arms high into the air. When her shoulder cracked, she let out a low wince and dropped her arms back down to her sides before searching out a sweater.

Her eyes fell onto the closed closet doors and Ryan sucked in a breath, praying that she could make it through the next few minutes without panicking.

"Cole's gone." She muttered to herself, desperate to keep herself anchored to reality.

When he had first passed away, she had often woken up in the mornings with the idea that it had all just been a horrifying nightmare, which was part of the reason why she no longer slept in her room. If she spent her nights on the couch, then when she woke up in the living room, she'd _know_ that it had been real, that Cole had been ripped away from her and Kylie in a split second. If she woke up in the bed, sometimes she could convince herself that Cole was just in the shower or down the hall with Kylie.

It was always a rude awakening when Ryan went in search of someone who wasn't there.

As she approached the closet, she brought her arms up and crossed them over her chest in an attempt to protect herself from the memories. When she was just a few feet away from the closet, she froze and felt her heart hammering against her chest, no, no she couldn't do this, she couldn't open the closet and realize that almost everything she had of Cole at one point in time was gone.

Her gaze dropped to the floor and she squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head slightly to force the memories out of her head. Cole laughing as he sifted through his closet in search of his deputy shirt, his smile as he wiped the face of his badge against his pants in an attempt to buff away the fingerprints, the way his eyes lit up at the sight of Ryan sitting in their bed rocking baby Kylie to sleep. There were too many painful memories, too many scenarios that she would _never_ get to share with Cole ever again.

Without thinking twice about her next move, she opened her eyes and veered towards the bedroom door, heading for the hallway and leaving the bed wrinkled. It was the least of her worries, she was too focused on trying to pull herself together before she had a chance to lay her eyes on Kylie.

Ryan paused at the top of the stairs and leaned her hip against the wall, trying to get her breathing to return to normal. She sucked in a deep breath, held it for a few seconds and blew it out, repeating the process a few more times before deciding she was going to be okay, she was going to waltz downstairs and into the kitchen where she could hear voices echoing out of.

Prancing down the stairs, Ryan hit the main floor and sped up the tiniest little bit. She had regained her composure just in time and she wasn't about to give herself any possibility of hesitation. No, she didn't want to lose the brave face she had managed to pull off.

"Good morning!" Ken's booming voice was the first to greet her and Ryan couldn't help but smile at his apparent good mood. She couldn't entirely blame him for it either, his girls were safe and nothing bad had happened to her, in Ken's eyes, that was definitely a victory.

"Morning." Ryan let out a yawn in response and Kylie lifted her hands into the air, waving them at her frantically. Ryan moved across the floor swiftly and bent over her little girl, pressing a kiss to Kylie's head before dropping down into the chair beside her. "Hi Ky."

"Morning mommy." Kylie beamed at her mother and turned her attention back to her breakfast, which was fried eggs and toast today. The toast had grape jelly smudged on it and Ryan grabbed one of the slices, lifting up to her mouth and taking a bite of the crust. Kylie was not a big fan of the crust and Ryan knew that if Kylie was going to continue to share her toast, Ryan was going to have to give the little girl what she wanted in return, which was crust free toast.

"Where's Jordan?" Ryan asked quietly and looked around the room, her eyes stopping on the entryway where she had just come through. "Did he leave?"

"He's in the living room." Ken answered and turned his attention to the pan on the stove. Ryan watched for a few seconds as her dad split open a few eggs and let them sizzle against the hot surface of the frying pan.

"What's he doing in there?" Ryan questioned and took another bite of Kylie's crust.

"Packing your sheets away. He told me that you slept in your own bed last night." Ken remarked with a teasing smirk, treating Ryan much like he would Kylie.

Ryan rolled her eyes and swallowed her mouthful of crust, "he carried me to bed, it's not like I laid down there on my own."

"Okay Ry but if you ask me, it's about time you get back into your own bed." Ken countered and poked at the frying eggs with the spatula in his hand. "You're going to wreck your back if you continue to sleep on the couch."

"So you've mentioned before dad." Ryan grumbled and took a third bite of crust, this time she set the toast down and stifled a giggle as Kylie picked it right back up, shoving the crustless portion of the toast into her little mouth.

"I just want what's best for my little girl." Ken muttered and focused his attention on cooking breakfast. Ryan rolled her eyes at her father's concern but took his words to heart.

All her father ever wanted was what was best for her and she knew exactly how that felt. All Ryan wanted for Kylie was what was best and she just hoped that she'd continue to give her daughter her all.

After her horrific nightmare at the hospital the night before, Ryan had considered her current position at the building. While she loved being an ER nurse, she wasn't so sure that the night shift was for her, especially not after the mysterious sword wielding maniacs had shown up last night and decimated patients and staff alike.

If she could maybe get herself on days then Ryan could spend more time with Kylie, which meant that she'd get to be around for more things. She wouldn't have to rely on her own dad as much, especially not when Kylie started school, and that would be a huge relief to him as well. He would never admit it out loud but Ryan knew he was getting to be too old to run around after a little girl and she couldn't blame him.

He would never say anything to Ryan, not when it came to the time he spent with Kylie. Every moment was precious to him and whether he wanted to, or Ryan asked him too, he'd never abandon Kylie the way Ryan's mother had. Plus the little girl needed a stable male influence and who better than grandpa?

"What do you think about me working days?" Ryan tossed the question out and watched as Kylie's face lit up. Ken turned around and stole a look at Ryan, studying her expression closely to make sure that she wasn't just teasing him.

"I thought you liked the premium that you get for working nights?" Ken pointed out and looked down at the eggs, which were nearly cooked.

"It's nice and all but is it worth it?" Ryan shot back and the two adults in the room looked over at Kylie who was furiously shaking her head no. "See, she's just a little kid and she knows the answer."

"Hey, I'm not against you on this, not at all." Ken stated. "I'll back you up no matter what you choose to do, I just want you to make sure it's the right decision for _you_."

Ryan sucked in a breath but didn't respond, not right away at least. She waited for the footsteps outside of the kitchen to get louder and when Jordan appeared in the entryway with a smile on his face, she felt herself relaxing the slightest little bit. Ah yes, he was another reason why Ryan had considered working days, if she was home in time for dinner, that meant she'd have more time in the evenings to spend with Jordan on occasion. Whatever they had between them, she wanted to see it grow, she wanted to spend more time with him, to get to know him on a deeper level and hang out with him and him alone.

"I bet you slept really well last night." Jordan teased with a smile and sauntered across the room towards the chair next to Ryan.

He lowered himself down and met her gaze, which had raked over his body and took in the uniform that he was wearing. There were still blood stains on his shirt and little rips and tears every which way she looked, but yet the fact of the matter was, he had made it out of last night's horrific events unscathed and that was all Ryan could really ask for.

"I took two sleeping pills, I would've been surprised if I didn't sleep well." She chuckled and leaned towards him, letting him drape his arm around her shoulders. "I was just telling the family here that I think I might try to get onto the day shift."

Jordan gave her an encouraging nod before looking over to Ken and meeting his gaze. He wanted to know where her father stood on the matter before making a comment. Ken's smile said it all though and Jordan knew that he was all for Ryan's decision.

"You were the one who told me not to work the night shift when I first got here." Jordan pointed out with a laugh. "I think maybe you should take your own advice."

"Yeah." She scoffed in response. "I think maybe you're right."

"Which means she can spend more time with me!" Kylie squealed in excitement and Ryan couldn't help but laugh at her little girl. Yes, the smile on Kylie's face said it all, switching to days would be good for them all.

"That right there is a good enough reason to switch, maybe I should follow your mom's lead and do the same with my job, then _I_ can spend more time with you too." Jordan smirked and Kylie's eyes widened as her smile grew.

"Jordie please!" The little girl begged and leaned forward in her booster seat. Her little arms reached out towards her mom and Jordan and when Ryan shifted closer to Kylie, she made quick work of freeing her little girl from the confines of her chair.

Kylie wiggled and squirmed but eventually planted her butt on Ryan's lap, her back against Ryan's chest and Ryan's arms around the little girl's waist, holding her so that she wouldn't fall to the floor. Kylie's hand extended towards Jordan and she set her palm against his forearm before grinning up at him.

"You want to go on more picnics?" Jordan asked and let his eyes flit up towards Ryan's before falling back to Kylie.

"Oh yes, yes please!" Kylie pleaded and Jordan gave her a nod.

"I think I'd like that too." Jordan said softly and the little girl broke out into a fit of giggles. Ryan's fingers tickled her belly and she squirmed in her mother's grasp, her hands reaching out for Jordan, who was her only available saviour. When Jordan latched onto Kylie, he gently peeled her away from Ryan and let her settle onto his knee, which she did in record time. He looked sideways at Ryan and caught her cheeks turning a slight shade of pink.

"I want to talk to you later." Ryan whispered and glanced down at Kylie, who was too busy munching away on her toast now to pay any attention to her mother. "Alone."

"You got it." Jordan bowed his head and forced a smile at her.

With that one extra word, he felt his stomach drop and it took everything he had to stop his entire body from tensing. Later wouldn't come slow enough.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

After calling in to her supervisor, Ryan had received the good news that she was allowed to take a few days off in order to recuperate from the attack. She knew that her mental status was just as important as her physical status and if she was distracted, she'd be more of a danger than anything. While Ryan had been on the phone, she had also mentioned switching to days and her supervisor had said that she'd do her best but it might take a week or two to figure everything out. It would seem that Ryan wasn't the only one who wanted to work days now instead of nights.

Once she had finished on the phone, she headed into the living room where Kylie, Ken and Jordan had migrated to once breakfast was over. She knew that Jordan had to get back to work eventually and at some point he'd have to go home and change out of his blood stained clothes, but for now she was going to enjoy his presence. He was definitely helping to keep her calm and maybe it had more to do with him as a person and not just the fact that he was a cop.

Ryan leaned against the wall just inside the living room and watched her little girl sitting on the floor playing with her dolls, Jordan right beside her laughing along. Ken was sitting on the couch admiring his granddaughter and when Ryan took a step closer to the three of them, he turned his attention to his daughter and smiled.

"What'd they say?" He questioned, knowing that Ryan had just spoken with her boss. "Are they going to switch you over?"

"She said it might take a couple of weeks to work it all out but basically as soon as everything's settled down and taken care of, I can move over to the day shift." Ryan answered and gave her little girl a reassuring smile. "I'm off for the next few days too, since I was involved in the attack and all."

"You're off, does that mean we can play all day?" Kylie beamed up at Ryan and dropped her dolls to the floor. Ryan watched as Kylie made her way to her feet and started walking over to Ryan, hugging her knees when she was within reach.

Ryan bent over and gently grabbed Kylie under her arms and then she lifted her up off the floor, letting the little girl settle against her hip. Kylie hugged Ryan tight and let her head rest on Ryan's shoulder, basking in the comfort that only a mother could provide.

"It sure does." Ryan answered in a low tone and pressed a kiss against Kylie's forehead, eliciting a giggle from the tot. Kylie let out a contented sigh and turned her attention back to Jordan, who had remained sitting on the floor, dolls scattered around him.

"And Jordie, can he stay and play all day too?"

Ken sat up straight and looked at Ryan with a concerned expression. While the idea of having Deputy Parrish stay and play with his two girls seemed grand, he knew that the deputy had a job to do and he'd most likely have to get back to it sooner rather than later. No one seemed to want to disappoint Kylie by answering her right away but when Jordan stood up, he grinned at the little girl in Ryan's grasp.

"I have to get back to work but I promise that as soon as my shift is over, I'll come back and play with you." Jordan announced and Kylie's face fell for a split second before her smile shone right back through.

"That's good." Kylie nodded. "I like mommy and me time."

Ryan chuckled at Kylie's statement and made a move to set her back on the floor. Once Kylie's feet were on the carpet, she broke out into a run and climbed up on the couch beside her grandpa, settling in next to him as his arm draped over her little shoulders. Jordan made his way across the room and headed right for Ryan, who sucked in a breath at the conversation that was about to go down.

"Dad, can you keep her busy for a few minutes, I want to talk to Jordan." Ryan requested and Ken answered with a simple nod of his head.

As Ryan walked out of the room next to Jordan, she couldn't help but smile at how easy it was for Kylie and Ken to pass the time. No matter what the two of them did together, Ryan was never informed of her misbehaving, nor was she told about how difficult Kylie had been. It was always about how much fun Ken had taking care of his tiny granddaughter.

Jordan set his palm on her lower back and followed her as she led them into the kitchen, which had been cleaned up in the time since they had all eaten their breakfast. Pulling a chair out at the table, she took a seat and motioned for him to follow suit, Jordan dropping down in the chair next to her and looking right into her eyes.

"What did you want to talk about?" Jordan asked in a hushed tone, fearful that if he was too loud then the two in the other room might hear them and if the conversation turned sour, he didn't want Kylie to know.

"I don't know, I guess we can start with why you put me in my bed last night." Ryan let out a sigh and rested her elbow on the table, setting her chin in her palm as she stared at him, waiting for his answer.

"I figure sleeping on the couch can't really be all that comfortable, so why not make good use out of that bed up there that's been neglected for so long?"

Ryan gave him one curt nod, acknowledging that his answer made sense. The thing that really bothered her though was that she explained to him why she slept on the couch, he had accepted it before, so if he knew her reasoning, why had he ignored her wishes and carried her up to her bedroom?

"I can't be in that room." Ryan breathed the words out and tried to keep herself calm. There was no point in getting mad at Jordan, not yet anyways, and maybe if she could get him to better understand her issues, then maybe they could work something out.

"I get that, I do, and please tell me if I'm pushing the boundaries here but what happens if I end up spending the night again? Are we just supposed to fight over the couch?" Jordan countered, a worried look etched on his face. "If that's what you want, I'll learn to live with it but if we're going to go further into this relationship then I think we need to at least talk about a potential compromise, don't you?"

"Do we even really have a relationship?" Ryan sucked in a breath and kept her eyes glued on his face. He cocked his head to the side and considered her words.

"I'd like to think that at this point in time we're a little more than friends. Maybe we're not at the stage where we can call each other boyfriend or girlfriend but I'm pretty sure you mean more to me than a pal."

"I think maybe we could be exclusive though." Ryan offered and straightened up in the chair. "Maybe we're not at the boyfriend/girlfriend stage just yet but I think we're close enough that we can agree not to see other people."

Jordan's lips turned up into a smile and he cautiously reached out, taking her hand in his. She dropped her elbow away from the table and let him take both of her hands as he scooted a little bit closer to her.

"I think that's fair." Jordan bowed his head and glanced down at her hands in his.

"Okay, so then, you don't see other girls and I don't see other guys." Ryan sighed, wondering if this was all moving too fast. After the attack at the hospital and having to lock herself in the closet in order to stay alive, she knew that there wasn't any sense wasting too much time. It wasn't as though Jordan was asking her to marry him, no, being exclusive wasn't the sort of commitment that had to stick forever. Maybe it was something good, maybe she'd be okay with him in her life, exclusively.

"Deal." Jordan chuckled. "Now, every time I stay over, are we going to have to fight over the couch?"

"Oh." Ryan felt her stomach drop, apparently he wanted to get back to the main issue at hand. "Look, maybe I can try-"

"Would it help if we redid the room maybe? Or would that make it worse?" Jordan cut in, hoping to keep her sadness at bay as best as he could. If he could just keep her attitude positive then maybe they could come up with a solution together.

"Redid the room?" She tilted her head at his suggestion and considered his offer.

If they redid her bedroom, would that really help? Would it be a big enough change that she'd be able to spend her nights sleeping soundly without the thought of living without Cole becoming too overwhelming.

"We can paint the walls, get you a new bed or at the very least brand new _bedding_. I can help you pick out some pictures or artwork to hang on the wall, that sort of thing."

"Clean out the closet and dressers too?" She asked in a hushed tone. "Will you help me do that?"

"I will help you do whatever you want to do, so long as we get you back in the bedroom." Jordan reassured her with a smile and Ryan found herself considering the possibilities.

If they painted the walls a different colour and picked out new bedding, maybe she could convince herself that it was a different room altogether, maybe she could get used to the idea of actually using her bedroom again. Her dad had a point, sleeping on the couch wasn't really all that good for her body and she didn't want Kylie growing up thinking that she was trying to get rid of her father completely. If she could show Kylie that she was no longer afraid of sleeping in the same bed that she had once shared with Cole, maybe she could make her little girl see that it was okay, that everything would turn out all right in the end after all.

"Okay." She dropped her gaze to the floor and took in a huge breath, holding it for a few seconds before blowing it out. "I think it's worth a try."

"Good. I can't begin to imagine what you went through when Cole died, or what you're still dealing with because of it, but I want you to be happy, just like he would." Jordan said softly and gently tugged her arms, causing her to move forward on the seat of her chair.

She stood up and closed the distance between them, lowering her bum down to sit on his lap before slipping her arms around his shoulders. His arms banded around her waist and he rested his forehead against her shoulder, gently pressing a kiss against her skin. She relaxed in his hold and shut her eyes, dreaming of the possibilities for the bedroom.

"I think maybe I'd like to hang some photos with Kylie in them." Ryan murmured.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea." Jordan replied and let a comfortable silence fall over them.

She hung on to him as her mind wandered to what colour she'd want to paint the room or what colour bedding she'd pick out to match.

"I'll start cleaning out the room today or tomorrow." Ryan stated. "I liked spending last night with you."

"No rush Ryan, we'll get this done." Jordan remarked. "No matter how long it takes, okay. I promise."

She simply nodded her head in response and hoped that this would all work out. She didn't know what to do if they finished redoing the room and things didn't change, for now though, she'd just enjoy her time with Jordan until he had to go back to work.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Is there anyone out there still reading this? I feel so down, one review? Is there something you guys don't like about the story?_**

 ** _I really appreciate the follows and favourites, I do, but I'd love to know what you're thinking about what you're reading._**

 ** _Is Ryan likeable in your opinion? Do you like Kylie?_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Thank you, once again, for your continued support! :)_**

 ** _If there's anything you guys want to say about anything, maybe you have questions that you want answered or things that you want cleared up, just let me know. Please leave me a review and I'll do my best to get back to you. If there's any questions you might have, feel free to PM me, I'm always up for a chat!_**


	20. Chapter 20

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 20:_**

Weeks after the attack at the hospital, Ryan had started to feel her life settling back into normal, or as normal as it could be considering she was without her child's father. Alongside Jordan, the two of them had made great headway on redoing her bedroom, a task which hadn't seemed as large of a task as it was quickly turning out to be.

The first step had been to clean out the room so that her and Jordan could get to preparing the walls for fresh paint. Ryan hadn't anticipated dealing with as much stuff as she had. Not only were there clothes stashed in every drawer and in the closet but there were also a couple giant Tupperware containers tucked under the bed, which were forgotten by Ryan. If the containers hadn't held so many of Cole's clothes then maybe Ryan would've been able to keep herself together in front of Jordan.

That hadn't been the case at all though and instead of being calm, cool and collected, like she would've liked, Ryan had promptly started crying as soon as the lids had come off and the memories associated with the clothes had flooded her mind. The sight of his old, nearly worn out football jersey laying folded on the top of one of the containers had been too much for her to bear and the memories had quickly taken over her thoughts, forcing her to recall a time when she had been happy with Cole.

As soon as she had started crying, Jordan had been right by her side, hugging her against him as he watched her run her fingers over the silky fabric of the jersey, the letter spelling out 'Sloane' across the back. Jordan had been a decent support following the attack as well, Ryan had barely spent her free time without him by her side and together, the two of them had created a schedule that made sense for both of them.

Ryan would go to work during the day leaving Kylie at the babysitter's, or with her dad on occasion, and Jordan would head into the station to do whatever he needed to do there. Once her shift was over, she'd head home and start work on making dinner, at which time Ken would come bounding into the house with Kylie, whom he picked up on his way over, hanging onto his hand excitedly. As soon as Jordan was available, he'd join them at Ryan's house for dinner, unless something came up and kept him busy with work, which was always a possibility.

For the weeks following the mysterious figures attacks, it had worked between them, and the two of them had jumped right into redoing her bedroom, hoping to get her back into a proper bed before too long. It wasn't until worked picked up at the station that Jordan had to cut back on the time he spent with Ryan and Kylie.

Nonetheless, once the room had been cleared out, Cole's jersey had been tucked away in the basement along with select items that also belonged to Cole, items that Ryan hadn't been able to get rid of, Jordan had accompanied Ryan to the hardware store where the two of them had looked at sample upon sample of paint.

It had taken her a few trips, and many sample cards, before she finally decided on a light gray colour that the paint company had called 'stone'. The paint had been ordered and now sat in the corner of the hallway, waiting for Ryan and Jordan to be free at the same time for more than just a couple hours at a time, and then they would get right down to it.

Jordan had headed over to her house while she had been at work and laid out sheets of plastic on the carpet, as well as draping the same plastic over the large pieces of furniture which he had moved into the middle of the room with Ken and Ryan's help. Ken had been very supportive of the decision to redo the bedroom and he had offered all the help he could possibly give, which ended up meaning he watched over Kylie while Ryan spent her time in the bedroom, trucking along with the idea of redoing the room.

Ryan hadn't been able to do much before she had to go into work for the day. Usually after breakfast, she'd take a few minutes and make a list of what she planned on doing when she got home but this particular morning, with Kylie acting up and Ken off taking care of his own business, Ryan hadn't gotten the chance and that had set the tone for the rest of her day.

The patients that came in throughout the day had been less than stellar, most of them were grumpy or upset before Ryan had even seen them and near the end of her shift, all she wanted to do was get everything done and head home.

Melissa made her way down the hall and headed for Ryan with a smile on her face. Ryan forced a smile back at the older woman and let out a sigh as she closed in on her friend. Melissa came to a stop just in front of her and Ryan brought her arms up, crossing them over her chest as she leaned against the hallway wall to her right.

"Days not treating you as well as you thought?" Melissa asked with a teasing tone. Ryan rolled her eyes at the older nurse and blew out a breath.

"It's certainly different than nights. Busier but on a more consistent basis, tell me this is just a fluke or will it eventually die down?" Ryan shot back, thankful for the break in work. Sometimes all it took to lift her mood up was a few minutes talking to Melissa.

"Just imagine how much time you get to spend with Kylie though." Melissa pointed out with a chuckle. "But I hate to tell you, what you've been dealing with is basically how it's always been."

Ryan let out a huff at Melissa's answer and tilted her head to the side, letting it rest against the wall along with her body.

"You do bring up a good point." Ryan nodded her head once and looked down at her feet, her bright white shoes practically glaring back at her, irritating her tired eyes.

"Plus don't you have that sexy new boy toy to spend time with? Relationships are way harder to maintain when you work nights." Melissa remarked, extending a hand out towards Ryan and tucking a stray strand of her golden blonde hair behind her ear. "Trust me, you'll get used to the workload and then you'll be wondering how you ever survived on the nightshift at all."

"I hope you're right." Ryan groaned and tipped her head back, squeezing her eyes shut as she tried to imagine spending more time with her family, not to mention Jordan. "Right now though, this is hard."

"I promise you, it gets better." Melissa smirked, gave Ryan a gentle pat on the shoulder and made a move to walk away. Her head dropped down to face forward and Ryan's hand shot out, catching hold of Melissa's wrist, stopping her before she had a chance to step away. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, but uh, how's Scott, and Stiles for that matter?" Ryan questioned before she could lose her nerve.

The sight of Stiles standing at the front desk before the sword wielding maniacs attacked still haunted her mind and she hadn't found any answers explaining what she had seen. Being Scott's mother though meant that Melissa had an inside source when it came to Stiles, an inside source that was way more reliable than anything else.

"Losing their friends is still really hard on them." Melissa moved her arm away from Ryan and rested her palm on her hip. "Allison and Aidan-"

"I heard, I'm sorry." Ryan bowed her head and paused for a few seconds, giving the deceased a quick moment of silence. "Are they dealing with it though? When Cole died I just didn't know how to handle it and I kept it bottled up, let me tell you, that was not the right way to deal with something like that."

Melissa nodded her understanding and sucked in a breath, clearly a little uncomfortable with the subject matter. Ryan knew that death would always be a touchy subject but there was no skirting around it, not in this instance. She wanted to know if the boys were okay or if they were having trouble dealing with their friends' deaths.

"Scott's better at hiding it than Stiles, but they're both hurting. I don't know what to do about Scott, I don't want to push him but at the same time…"

"It's hard right, because you're his mom." Ryan provided her with the words she couldn't quite get out. Melissa smiled at Ryan in appreciation and glanced over her shoulder. When her attention was back on Ryan, she opened her mouth and spoke again.

"I just want him to be okay."

"One day." Ryan murmured. "One day it won't hurt as much and one day he's going to need you more than you'll ever know. Be patient, that's all that you can do but I know he'll come around."

"Yeah." Melissa nodded her head. "I feel bad for Stiles, he doesn't have a mother and I know how hard it is for some teenagers to talk to their fathers about anything."

"Stiles is a good kid, he's got a good dad."

"Point taken." Melissa gave Ryan a knowing grin. "His dad is ten times the man that I married."

Ryan's lips turned up into a smile at the thought of the sheriff looking after his son. Ryan had known the family rather well when she was younger, having babysat Stiles during the whole ordeal surrounding his mother. He had always been a good kid and he had never been shy about much, when she had gotten to know his father after Claudia had passed away, Ryan knew that Stiles was in good hands. Stiles' dad reminded her very much of her own father, and maybe Ken didn't know as much as she would've liked, he knew enough to get by and he always tried his best.

Yes, a father's love was one of the best feelings in the world to Ryan and she knew that Stiles had faired just as well as she had in that department.

"Raphael still has time to come around and be an amazing dad." Ryan said softly in a gesture of good will. She knew how tough it had been on Melissa when her husband had been drinking, she knew that having Scott grow up without much of a fatherly influence wasn't easy on either of them but Melissa had tried, she had made it work and Ryan knew that she had put everything she had into making sure that Scott had grown up to be a decent man.

"I know." Melissa dropped her gaze to the floor and kicked her right foot out, bringing it back and crossing it over her left. "You might have too much faith in him though."

"It's just hard for me to see dads as anything less than amazing, I mean, look at what my dad did for me, or what Cole did for Kylie. In my head, dads are pretty much the best thing ever so it's hard to understand that it's not always like that." Ryan stated and caught the sympathetic look in Melissa's eye. "Maybe that makes it all the more sad, when it's not like how I knew it to be."

"I get it." Melissa sighed. "I hope you're right though, it's never too late, is it?"

Ryan shook her head no, "never."

"Well then keep your fingers crossed for me?"

"Of course." Ryan chirped and lifted her hand up, crossing her middle finger over her index finger. "Just in case though, I should probably tell you that you're the best mom I've ever met."

"Yeah? I bet Kylie feels the same about you." Melissa chuckled and Ryan couldn't help but smile. "She's lucky to have you, I see how hard you work here and I know that you do it for her."

"She's my little girl." Ryan shrugged and lowered her hand, keeping her fingers crossed for the time being. "You and I both know that we'd do anything for our kids."

"I do."

Ryan pushed herself away from the wall and made a move to sidestep around Melissa. With one last smile shared between them, she gave the older woman a reassuring pat on the arm before taking off down the hall, heading for the front desk in the hopes that she'd be able to pick up an easy patient.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Things with Ryan had been fairly smooth after the incident at the hospital. For the most part he was spending his nights curled up next to her and whether it was on the couch or in her bed, well that just didn't matter to Jordan because he knew that eventually she'd end up in her bed every night and not just once in a while.

Lately any time the two of them had a free minute together, it had been spent inside the bedroom, starting off with them going through all the stuff jammed away in the closet and dressers, even under the bed, then they had begun moving onto the actual work that needed to be done. Paint had been picked out, furniture had been moved and once Jordan had a day off, his plan was to get down to it and cover the walls in the paint that she had picked out.

Being back at work was still hard, even weeks after the attack, but if the rest of the deputies and the sheriff could handle it, then so could Jordan. His partner Haigh seemed nearly unaffected by the attack and Jordan couldn't figure out if the man was just trying to mask his uneasiness or if he wasn't actually bothered by what had happened.

The call had come in quick that morning and Jordan was thankful that it sounded like an easy case. Apparently there was a young man wandering around inside the gated off portion of land that once held the remnants of the Hale house. Familiarizing himself with the once intricately built mansion before he had even started as a deputy, Jordan was a little sad to see the house in ruins.

Pulling the sheriff's truck up to the outside of the fence, Jordan glanced out the front window and spotted the trespasser in question. He had clearly broken through the locked gate and was now wandering around inside and while this was, indeed, a crime, Jordan couldn't help but wonder why this kid was here and what he had to gain by breaking into a construction site.

"I've been meaning to ask you, I heard rumours that you're with Sloane." Haigh broke the silence between them, the two of them remaining in the truck yet Jordan's eyes never left the figure crouched down inside the fenced off area.

"Ryan, yeah. Why?"

"Nothing man, I just always thought that Cole was a lucky guy. How he managed to land a girl like her still weighs on my mind." Haigh pointed out with a smirk, a smirk that made Jordan feel slightly uncomfortable by the presence of his partner.

"Whatever Haigh." Jordan scoffed but apparently Haigh wasn't about to drop it.

"She'd never even give me the time of day, you know that? Always so focused on Cole and that little girl of theirs that she'd barely say more than two words to me any time I saw her."

"That little girl's name is Kylie, and what does it matter anyways? She was married-"

"Yeah and now she's not. I've seen her a couple of times when I dropped some perps off at the ER, she gets this look on her face, like a stink eye almost."

"Maybe she just doesn't like you?" Jordan offered and tried to bite back the threat that was lingering on his mind. He didn't really like Haigh either sometimes and the thought of the man in the truck with him looming at Ryan didn't sit well.

"I've been nothing but nice. I can't even remember how many times I offered to take her out for coffee and talk."

"Before or after Cole died?"

"Doesn't matter, either way she didn't accept my offer."

"You offered to take her out for coffee when you knew she was married?!" Jordan gaped at Haigh. "That's all sorts of messed up."

"Whatever Parrish." Haigh snorted, an almost amused expression taking over his face.

"Let's just deal with this." Jordan countered and pointed out the front window at the figure hunched over on the ground.

Him and Haigh quickly climbed out of the truck and shut the doors with a slam before stalking forward, the two of them stepping through the broken portion of the fence. Jordan locked his eyes on the kid and feared for his safety inside the construction site. There was an abundance of dangerous equipment and if Jordan could calmly get the kid away from the area and then question him, then he'd feel all the better about the whole situation.

He took a few more steps forward and closed in on the young man, calling out to him, "Excuse me, young man?" Jordan called out.

"You're calling _him_ young man?" Haigh quipped with an amused scoff but matched each of Jordan's steps with one of his own.

"Shut up, Haigh." Jordan shot back with a shake of his head.

He approached the youngster sitting on the ground in the midst of the rubble and tried to grab his attention without setting him off. The kid seemed deep in thought and maybe they could avoid a scene if they all just remained calm.

Jordan continued to close in on him and lifted his hand up, setting it on the front of his belt as he tried to come off as casual. The kid still didn't bother to look in their direction but Jordan was undeterred.

"Sorry, but you can't be here." Jordan announced politely.

"Hey, dumbass." Haigh threw in quickly, his tone much more dominating that Jordan's. "You ever hear of no trespassing?"

"This is my house." The kid fired back and turned his head to the side slightly, although his eyes still didn't meet Jordan's.

"Nobody's been here for years, kid. Now get the hell out of here." Haigh instructed and moved his hands to his belt buckle as well, widening his stance and trying to maintain his intimidating stature.

"Haigh, maybe a slightly gentler touch?" Jordan fixed his partner with a glare and then turned his attention to the young man sitting on the ground a few feet in front of him. "Are you all right? We can help you if something's wrong."

"What happened to my house?" The kid paused and Jordan caught side of Haigh's head shake from the corner of his eye. "Where's my family? Where's my mother?"

The kid finally turned to face them now and Jordan caught the look of pain in his eyes.

"All right, let's go. Now." Haigh demanded and made a grab for the teen's arm.

Before Jordan could even see what was about to happen, the kid ripped his arm out of Haigh's grasp and turned his body to face the deputy. The youngster's arm shot out and his fingers wrapped around Haigh's forearm, Jordan's partner letting out a pained groan.

"Hold on, just take it easy." Jordan cried out, trying to get the kid to calm down without having to result to force, which was something that Haigh wouldn't think twice about using if he had to.

Jordan had to regain control of the situation, if they had ever even had control to start with. If he could just maintain his sense of calm then maybe everything would turn out all right, maybe he'd be able to take care of the trespasser without incident and make it back to the station in one piece.

Within seconds Jordan flinched at the sound of buzzing electricity and he knew that something bad was about to happen. When his partner's Taser made an appearance in Haigh's hand, Jordan's heart picked up in pace.

"Haigh, what are you-" Jordan's eyes widened as his partner's arm went backwards, winding up for the strike, "Don't! Wait! Haigh, stand down!"

His pleas went ignored and Jordan was reduced to watching as the teenager, who had been rather docile when they first appeared, now trembled and shook under the shock of electricity flowing through his body.

When he finally collapsed to the ground, Jordan rushed forward and dropped to his knees next to the kid. Haigh took a step back and turned his back to Jordan, which was just fine with him, so long as he could take a look at the kid without Haigh's interference, then he had the potential to make everything slightly less insane.

"Kid, kid can you breathe?" Jordan leaned forward and let out a relieved sigh when the kid lying flat on his back on the ground gave him a nod. "I'm going to roll you over now, okay?"

"Parrish would you just cuff him already?" Haigh growled and turned back to face them. His Taser was back in the holster and Jordan set a glare in his partner's direction.

"I'm just trying to-"

"This has already been a colossal waste of time!" Haigh cut him off and bent over, shoving the kid to the side before pulling his handcuffs off the back of his belt.

Jordan raised his hands in surrender and made his way to his feet. By the time Jordan was standing up, Haigh had the kid handcuffed, his arms bent and his hands secured behind his back.

"Haigh!" Jordan shouted and his partner looked at him, eyes wide with disbelief. Apparently he was hoping that Jordan would get the picture, this wasn't worth their paygrade, at least not in Haigh's eyes. The faster Haigh could get this little hellion back to the station, the better off he'd be and Jordan knew that he was going to have to play interference.

"You coming or not Parrish?" Haigh glowered at Jordan and hauled the teenager to his feet. His hand held the chain of the handcuffs tightly in his fingers and he gave the trespasser a rough shove forward.

"I just don't think this is necessary." Jordan mumbled and threw his hands up into the air in frustration.

Haigh continued to make his way towards the truck and Jordan merely stood back and watched as his partner pulled the back door open and shoved the poor teenager into the backseat. There was no rhyme or reason for Haigh's blow up, there was no excuse that his fellow deputy could give him to make what he had done okay.

If Jordan had been in the teenager's shoes, he might've done something similar, it only seemed like self defense.

Yes there was something that didn't sit right with him. Why had the kid been there in te first place? He had called the place his home, but Jordan knew enough about the property to realize that anyone who could possibly call the place home was either dead from the fire or gone.

There was no way that this kid could possibly call the remnants home, which just served to prove that Jordan had every right to believe that something was off.

Sucking in a breath, Jordan looked towards the truck, Haigh standing beside the driver's side with an impatient look on his face.

"Parrish, are you coming or were you planning on having a god damn picnic here?" Haigh yelled over at him and Jordan bit back a growl.

"Just give me a minute." Jordan retorted and marched towards the hole in the chain link fence. He paused just inside the construction zone and looked around, his eyes landing on a small pile of dirt covered bungee cords.

Without a word to his fellow deputy, Jordan pulled the fence across and threaded the bungee cord through the links, making a decent attempt to seal up the hole that the teenager had used to get to the remains of the house.

Once the fence was back to keeping people out, Jordan took a step backwards and admired his handy work. With one last look at the rubble and debris littered on the ground, Jordan vowed to get to the bottom of all the unanswered questions and hopefully get the kid to believe in the power of authority once again.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Well hey now, here we have the introduction to Derek into the story. What are you hoping will happen with him now that he's shown up? Do you think him and Ryan will meet at some point?_**

 ** _Aww thanks guys! I hope you all liked this chapter too! Let me know what you guys think?_**

 ** _I really appreciate the reviews, follows and favourites, I do, and I'd love to continue to know what you're thinking about what you're reading too!_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Your words are always kind and I appreciate them all the time! :)_**

 ** _Chella8181: I'll definitely take that into consideration, I think now that they're together, there won't be as many chapters where they're not together, or at least communicating. I hope you liked the latest installment and thank you so much for reviewing!_**

 ** _BrightestWitchofYourAge: Ahh okay :) As long as you still like it and thank you so much for the review_**

 ** _ashley0921: Thank you! I hope you continue to enjoy it!_**

 ** _Mia: Okay, okay I won't :P thanks so much for the review!_**

 ** _A: A chapter, pfft, packing things up and room reno will be happening over a few chapters but nonetheless, I hope you enjoy them when they come! Thank you so much for the compliments on the realism factor and just all of your kind, amazing words! I appreciate your continued support :)_**

 ** _If there's anything you guys want to say about anything, maybe you have questions that you want answered or things that you want cleared up, just let me know. Please leave me a review and I'll do my best to get back to you. If there's any questions you might have, feel free to PM me, I'm always up for a chat!_**


	21. Chapter 21

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 21:_**

Jordan wasn't all that pleased to look across the room and find the kid from the construction site handcuffed to the metal bench in front of his desk, yet he wasn't about to argue, especially not with Haigh in the mood that he seemed to be in. First he hadn't even given the kid a chance to explain and then he had tased the poor teenager, nope, Jordan wasn't going to take any chances when it came to standing up against Haigh, not at that moment anyways.

He had left his partner to calm down a little bit, glancing at Haigh sitting at the desk as he tried to identify who they had just brought in. Jordan held a clipboard in his hand with the release papers all filled out and ready to sign, all he needed now was for someone to claim the kid and all would be well with the world again.

Wandering closer to Haigh, Jordan extended the clipboard to him and waited patiently as his co-worker took the board out of his hand and looked over the information that Jordan had filled in. With a slightly amused expression on his face, Jordan produced the handcuff keys and closed the distance between himself and the kid, dropping to a crouch in front of the vulnerable teenager and stealing a glance back at Haigh, who had a look of annoyance as his expression.

Jordan sucked in a breath and focused his attention back on the kid sitting on the bench.

"The other deputy thinks I'm an idiot for even asking, but I have a feeling if I take these cuffs off, you're going to be okay? And I think you'll help us figure out what happened to your family so that we can get you out of here. Am I right?" Jordan questioned softly, keeping a calm tone to his voice. If he could keep this kid calm then he'd make everyone else's job easier.

When the kid gave Jordan a slight nod, he leaned forward, reached across to his wrist and slid the key into the slot on the side of the cold metal bracelet. Twisting the key, he heard the familiar click of the cuff's coming undone and with swift movements, he released the kid's wrist from the bench, giving him back his freedom, as well as his dignity.

"The other deputy's the idiot." The kid countered.

"Can't argue with that." Jordan replied with a shit-eating grin. Oh yes, Deputy Haigh was quite the idiot in Jordan's eyes but he hadn't chosen him as his partner, he had been assigned.

"Parrish, get over here." Haigh called out, breaking the calm moment that he had been sharing with the young man. Jordan turned back and caught Haigh's serious expression before quickly making his way to his feet.

He kept his eyes glued on to Haigh and wandered towards his partner, stepping around the edge of the desk and taking up a stance behind his fellow deputy.

Leaning down to get a better look at what Haigh had pulled up on the screen of the computer, Jordan caught sight of the picture along the side of the electronic file and furrowed his eyebrows.

"I ran this kid's prints eight times, this is all that comes up." Haigh explained and motioned towards the screen where a very different person was captured on the screen. There had to be some mistake, the guy on the screen was listed as the same age as Jordan but the kid sitting on the bench was just that: a kid.

"Derek Hale?" Jordan kept his eyes trained on the screen, looking at the picture of the person who was supposedly the same person who was sitting in front of him.

"Did you say Hale?" The sheriff walked up from behind them, a confused expression on his face.

The sheriff looked at the screen, then at the kid that Jordan and his partner had brought in. After a few seconds, he leaned his head forward and squinted his eyes before stepping closer to the kid sitting calmly on the bench. A few more awkward seconds passed by and the sheriff took up a stance in front of the kid, slowly lowering down into a crouching position and continuing to stare. He tipped his head to the side, still very confused, and moved back up into a standing position.

Jordan didn't say a word as the sheriff came back around and stood next to him, getting another long look at the picture on the computer screen. He looked at the kid one last time and when the sound of frantic footsteps echoed out from the front, the sheriff turned his attention towards the door, spotting none other than his very own son and Scott McCall.

Stiles pointed at his dad and the sheriff broke the silence that had fallen over them all, "I'll handle this."

Jordan stifled a chuckle as the sheriff waved at his son, bringing him forward into the room. He led the two teenagers right into his office and shut the door behind him, leaving Jordan standing next to Haigh, none the wiser as to what the hell was going on with the kid on the bench and the file on the computer claiming that his fingerprints matched those of Derek Hale, who looked nothing like the kid in front of them.

Haigh shrugged at Jordan and shook his head before looking out into the main part of the station. When Jordan followed his partner's eyes, he couldn't help but smile at the gorgeous blonde making her way through the crowd in search of him, well, that's who he was assuming she was looking for.

He watched carefully as Ryan glanced down at Kylie who was toddling along beside her, and felt his heart picking up in pace just a tiny bit. He then spotted the smile on Ryan's face and wondered what had put it there, not that he was complaining either way. Her smile was something he'd never get tired of seeing.

Ryan met his eyes and blushed at his stare but her smile never faltered. She couldn't have been any happier with her life at that very moment. Kylie was perfectly fine and Ryan had been lucky enough to find a man like Jordan Parrish, who seemed to get better with each passing second. If it hadn't been for him, she wasn't entirely sure that she ever would've been able to move on from Cole, there was just something about him that made Ryan feel like everything might just be okay after all.

When Kylie had suggested they make dinner for Jordan, who had called Ryan earlier and informed her that he would be working later than he had anticipated, Ryan had been quick to counter that they certainly could make dinner and then they could even take it to the station for the man that Kylie seemed to adore to pieces. She'd deny it if anyone ever tried to pin it on her but she was probably more excited at the prospect of laying her eyes on Jordan than Kylie and there was no doubt that Kylie was super excited to lay eyes on the man she affectionately called 'Jordie'.

Jordan lifted his hand up and when Ryan tilted her head, waiting for his next move, he motioned for her to come right in. Ryan followed his silent instruction easily and wandered through the door that had remained open from when Stiles and Scott had shown up moments earlier.

Stepping towards her, Jordan opened his arms and lowered himself down to his knees, letting Kylie pull away from Ryan and envelope him in a giant hug. Jordan held on to her and stood up, Kylie resting against his hip as he released one of his arms. Ryan was quick to take hold of his free hand and as he gave her a gentle, reassuring squeeze, Ryan tipped her head down to the bag hanging from her other hand.

"Kylie wanted to bring you lunch." Ryan stated and Jordan took a glance back at Haigh, who was staring at the three of them.

"But mommy, you said _you_ wanted to see Jordie." Kylie whined and immediately Ryan knew that she had been ratted out faster than she could've said 'boo'. Jordan chuckled at the two of them and motioned for them to follow him.

"Maybe I should work on her subtlety." Ryan grumbled and Jordan tossed a grin in her direction.

"Nice to see you Sloane." Haigh called out to them and Jordan's grip on Ryan's hand tightened ever so slightly. Ryan squeezed his hand right back, letting him know that it was okay, meanwhile Kylie was suddenly playing shy with Jordan's fellow deputy.

"Can't say the same for you." Ryan shot back and forced a wicked smirk onto her lips. She leaned in closer to Jordan, who was obviously tensing at the interaction between Ryan and his partner.

"It's so good to see the little one's doing okay too." Haigh cooed and Kylie turned her head away, burying her face into Jordan's shoulder. Ryan shook her head at Haigh and when Jordan tugged on her hand, she followed his lead and turned around, and that's when her eyes widened in shock and her heart picked up in speed.

With the pounding of her heart so loud that she feared everyone else could hear it, she studied the kid sitting on the bench that had been behind her. It wasn't possible, but yet the evidence was right in front of her. This kid, whatever he was doing at the station, looked exactly like Derek Hale had when they were teenagers.

It had been quite a while since she had seen the man but they had, at the very least, known each other well enough to talk on occasion, even hang out when the time called for it, but surely he had aged, he couldn't look _exactly_ the same as he had at fifteen.

The kid smirked at her and she froze up, her mind going completely blank and her throat going dry. Was this kid Derek Hale, had he not aged a day since he was practically a child? Something was definitely wrong, it wasn't possible. While she knew that there were adults who looked similar to their younger selves, this was a different story. Derek Hale looked like he hadn't changed at all.

"Y-you." She gasped and stumbled slightly as she moved away from him.

Haigh made his way to his feet and rushed forward, stepping between her and the kid who hadn't budged from the bench. Haigh looked at Ryan's shocked face, then he looked at Jordan. When his gaze finally landed on the kid that he and Parrish had picked up, he shook his head and opened his mouth.

"Do you know him?" Haigh asked and focused his attention on Ryan, who hand her hand up covering her mouth from shock.

"I…I think…I'm not so sure." Ryan fumbled her words and it wasn't until Kylie's hand reached out and landed on her shoulder that Ryan seemed to calm down slightly. "He just looks like this guy that I used to know."

"Derek Hale?" Jordan supplied and Ryan whipped around, her eyes wide with surprise.

"What?" She barked at him and Jordan cocked his head to the side.

Kylie squirmed in his hold and he quickly set her on the ground, Kylie wrapping her arms around Ryan's thigh and looking up at her mother with wide eyes.

"Mommy." Kylie whined and squeezed Ryan's thigh tighter, bringing Ryan's attention downwards. "The food."

Ryan robotically nodded her head and stepped out of the room, bypassing Haigh as she did so. Kylie continued to cling to her mother's leg and when they were back out in the main part of the station, Ryan bent down, set the bag on the ground and banded her arms around Kylie.

Jordan came up behind them and set his hand on her back, right between her shoulder blades. She sucked in a breath and held it, fearful that if she spoke, her voice would falter.

"Is that Derek Hale in there?" Jordan crouched down next to her and lowered his voice so that only she'd be able to hear him.

"That kid looks exactly like the Derek that I went to high school with." Ryan answered, her voice barely louder than a whisper. "I know that's not possible though, right? That's not Derek Hale in there, it's just some random kid who happens to look exactly like the guy I knew when I was fifteen."

"Haigh ran his prints more than once and he kept getting a match to Derek Hale." Jordan provided her with information that she didn't want to hear. She dropped her head downwards and looked at the ground, trying to get herself to calm down.

"Derek Hale is the same age as I am, if that's him in there, then what the hell happened to the idea of aging?" Ryan hissed back and Kylie moved her hands to Ryan's shirt front, balling her fists in the material.

"Mommy, don't be mad at Jordan, okay?" Kylie whispered, even going as far as to say the man's name appropriately and it didn't take Ryan too long to figure out that her little girl was doing everything in her power not to make Ryan angrier than she was already. "He's a good guy."

Ryan pressed her lips together and swallowed the lump that had been forming in her throat. She loosened her grip on Kylie and dropped down so that she was sitting on the floor. Kylie slid her palms up and tipped Ryan's head back just enough so that the two of them were looking into each other's eyes.

"You're right Ky-pie." Ryan murmured and leaned her head forward, pressing a sweet little kiss against the tip of Kylie's nose. "We came here to drop off food."

"We did." Kylie smiled and turned her head to the side, her eyes locking on Jordan. "I helped mommy!"

Jordan extended his hand out towards Kylie and she grabbed hold of it before stepping away from Ryan and closer to him. She let Jordan take her into a hug and lift her off her feet as he straightened up, motioning for Ryan to do the same.

Ryan scrambled to her feet and grabbed the bag full of food, offering it to Jordan.

"I think there might be a picnic table outside, let me just go let the sheriff know that I'm taking a break." Jordan smiled at her and she relaxed her arm, the food hanging at her side inside the bag.

"Are you sure that's okay?" Ryan asked him, her voice soft and laced with nervousness.

"Yeah, I want to talk to you about Haigh anyways." Jordan bowed his head and kept Kylie in his hold.

He tossed one last smile in Ryan's direction before heading towards the sheriff's office. Ryan watched for a few more seconds before turning around and facing her body towards the main entrance. When a hand came to rest on her lower back, she sucked in a breath and twisted her body towards the touch, expecting to see Jordan.

In fact it wasn't Jordan, it wasn't Kylie either, no, the man standing next to her with his hand on her lower back was the man that Jordan had wanted to ask her about. Deputy Haigh smiled down at her and Ryan forced an awkward smile right back at him.

"How are you doing since…well…since the incident?" Haigh asked and Ryan found herself wanting nothing more than for Jordan to come back to her and whisk her away from the man with his hand on her back.

"I'm fine." Ryan ground the words out, hoping he'd catch the hint and leave her alone.

"I see you've found Cole's replacement already." Haigh pointed out and his smile turned into a smirk that chilled Ryan to the bone.

She gripped the bag of food tighter in her hand and tried not to freak out on the deputy in front of her. She didn't want to make a scene, especially not where people knew her and knew her story. They were familiar with Cole and she didn't want to ruin the memories that they had of him by acting out and marring the Sloane name.

"He's _not_ Cole's replacement." Ryan fired back in a relatively calm tone. "He's just a guy who I happen to be friends with."

"Well Parrish told me earlier that you two are a thing."

"I don't know why it matters to you either way." Ryan remarked and made a move to step away from him. He slipped his arm around her and drew her towards him but Ryan fought against his touch.

"I was just trying to offer you a condolence hug." Haigh chuckled, as though his actions were noble and not something that made her uncomfortable.

"You're about six months too late for that." Ryan sneered and stepped back, moving just out of his reach.

Haigh took a step forward and she saw the look in his eye, the same look that he used to get when she had stopped by to see Cole, the exact look that Haigh reserved for when he knew no one was paying any attention. She shivered at the sight and lifted her hand up, the bag of food hanging between them and giving her a barrier in order to keep him away.

"I never understood this hate you have for me." Haigh feigned a wounded look at Ryan's actions but she wasn't falling for anything. Instead of sympathizing with him, she cocked her head to the side and looked over to the sheriff's door, her eyes landing on Jordan's back as Kylie waved at her over his shoulder. "Is it because of that little runt?"

Ryan held her breath at the mentioning of her daughter. While runt hadn't been the worst thing that Haigh had ever called Kylie, it certainly didn't sit well with her. Kylie was her baby, she'd always be her baby and her job as her mother was to protect her.

"Don't you ever talk about my daughter." Ryan snarled at him, turning away before Kylie could see the look of anger on her face. "I told you before that I'm not interested in you, not in a romantic way, not even in a friendly way, please stop talking to me."

"Or what? You going to tell your new boyfriend?"

Ryan's jaw clenched at his words and she debated how to handle her response. On one hand, if she told Jordan that Haigh creeped her out, he'd maybe be able to get the man to back off. On the other hand, she could easily make it worse for herself and for Jordan too.

"Back off." She growled and looked back over at the door, spotting Jordan turning around, Kylie waving at her as the two of them closed in on her.

Haigh followed Ryan's eyes and scoffed at his partner heading towards him. Jordan paused halfway back to her and set Kylie on the floor, taking her hand in his as he continued to close in on Ryan. The look of pure relief on her face spoke volumes to him and Jordan wondered what on earth had set her off but now he knew he was going to bring up Haigh while they ate lunch together outside, there was just too much about their relationship, or lack thereof, that he didn't know.

Kylie grabbed hold of Ryan's free hand and Jordan took up a stance right behind Ryan, setting his hand on her shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Everything alright here?" Jordan asked calmly and Ryan gave him a firm nod. Haigh threw a smile on his face and turned back to the other room. With a wave directed at the three of them, Haigh walked away from them, at which point Ryan let out a sigh of relief.

"Outside now?" Kylie looked up at Jordan with a pleading look. "Please?"

Jordan nodded his head yes and waved Kylie towards the door that would lead them outside. He grabbed hold of the bag of food and followed her and Ryan as they led the way.

Once they were outside, Kylie broke out into a run towards the nearby picnic table, climbing up onto the very top before planting her butt down and crossing her legs. She beamed back at her mom and Jordan and when the two adults finally sat down, one on either side of the table, she giggled loudly.

"What are you laughing at?" Ryan asked and tried to forget what had happened inside. She had never much cared for Haigh and the more time she spent near him, the more she felt like she needed a shower.

He was a slimeball and Cole had known all along. When he had still been alive, she remembered Cole's vague threats directed towards Haigh but the man had never actually followed through on any of them, his words were more to make Ryan feel better.

"I love picnics!" Kylie exclaimed and when Jordan set the bag of food on the table in front of her, she ripped the bag open and dug out the sandwiches that were neatly wrapped in wax paper and tucked into plastic baggies. "And I love spending time with you mommy, and Jordan."

"If you want, you can go back to calling me Jordie." Jordan offered and Kylie shook her head no.

"I think I like Jordan better." Kylie grinned.

"Okay, hey, why don't you go play just over there so I can talk to your mom for a second?"

Kylie made her way onto her hands and knees and carefully moved down the table backwards. Jordan watched on as she took off in a run before stopping and spinning in circles. Ryan let out a laugh at her little girl and smiled across the table, catching Jordan's gaze as he turned back around to face her.

"You and Haigh, what's up with that?" Jordan asked in a low tone. Even though he figured Kylie wouldn't be able to hear him, he didn't want to take any chances.

"He used to hit on me when I was with Cole. He creeps me out." Ryan offered with a shrug, trying to pretend like it was no big deal. She didn't want to cause a rift between Jordan and Haigh, who was his partner when it came to police work. "Cole talked to him one time but I guess since Cole's not here anymore, he thinks I'm fair game again."

"Did you want me to talk to him? Maybe I can get him to back off?"

"It's fine but don't take it personally when I don't come to visit you at work anymore." She teased and flashed a smile across the table. "I appreciate the offer though."

"I just want you to feel safe."

"And with you around, I do." Ryan countered and felt her cheeks flushing at her words. "There's something about you, I just feel better with you."

"I like spending time with you, you know that right?"

"I guess." She shrugged.

"I do. I like being with you and Kylie and if there's someone, or something, bothering you, you can always talk to me about it."

Ryan bowed her head and sucked in a breath. Jordan reached across the table and gently took hold of Ryan's hand, bringing her attention back to him. When she met his gaze, he grinned at her and she couldn't help but smile.

"Mommy! Look a capetillar!"

Ryan let out a laugh as she pulled her hand out of Jordan's grasp and made her way to her feet at her daughter's beckoning.

"Come on Jordan, seems we've found ourselves a capetillar." Ryan jogged away from the table, her laughter sounding out behind her.

Jordan shook his head at the two girls and felt his body relax. Ryan moved to stand behind Kylie, who was bent over the ground as she tried to grab hold of the caterpillar in question.

Without hesitating for another second, Jordan hopped off the picnic table seat and ran after them, the sound of their laughter making him smile and pushing the thought of Haigh to the back of his mind.

For now, he'd enjoy the moments that he could share with Ryan and Kylie.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _For all you fans out there of my Peter/OC Story 'The Last of Us', check it out, it's been entered into a fanfiction contest: i_** ** _nkitt.c o m_** ** _(/)stories(/)27221 (just take out the spaces and brackets). Please take a look and vote!?_**

 ** _So Ryan definitely remembers Derek, do you think he'll play into her story more? Are you hoping he will?_**

 ** _And how are you guys feeling about the whole Haigh making passes at Ryan issue? Do you think Jordan will just let it go or do you think he'll go behind her back?_**

 ** _I hope you all enjoyed and liked this chapter just as much as you did the others! Let me know what you guys think?_**

 ** _I really appreciate the reviews, follows and favourites, I do, and I'd love to continue to know what you're thinking about what you're reading too!_**

 ** _Guest: Oh, why that sounds like a wonderful idea! I can tell you this; Derek would've known Cole and Ryan were a thing in high school. Thanks so much for the review!_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Total creeper for sure! Ah yes, the part where Parrish pummels him was a good scene ;). Thank you so much for the review and I'm so glad that you agree with Melissa and her shipping!_**

 ** _A: Yes! She meets young Derek and maybe he'll show up in her future too! Ryan definitely needs to reconnect with Stiles and Scott and I'll see what I can do. Thanks so much for the review and for your continued support! I always look forward to what you have to say :)_**

 ** _stephanie. ao13: Aw thank you! I'm so glad that you love it! How did you feel about the latest installment, was the Parrish/Kylie interaction to your enjoyment?_**

 ** _If there's anything you guys want to say about anything, maybe you have questions that you want answered or things that you want cleared up, just let me know. Please leave me a review and I'll do my best to get back to you. If there's any questions you might have, feel free to PM me, I'm always up for a chat!_**


	22. Chapter 22

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 22:_**

Jordan had ended up working even later once the girls had left the station. His initial intention had been to finish up with the kid who was apparently Derek Hale and then head home in time for dinner.

This had not been what had happened at all, not even close.

Instead, Jordan had been stuck at the desk filling out the release papers for the kid and watching as he was swept away by Stiles and Scott. In a weird turn of events, the sheriff himself had informed him that their suspect was free to go, without any explanation at all.

Jordan had thought it was a little out of the ordinary but then again, there wasn't much keeping the kid at the station anyways, plus he had a place to be.

By the time he had walked into the house, Ryan leaving the door unlocked for him, he had missed saying his goodbyes to Ken and Kylie was already in bed. Peeling off his deputy's jacket and leaving it at the front door, which he had locked immediately following his entry into the house, Jordan swiftly made his way up the stairs in search of Ryan, once he had made sure the main floor was clear of course.

He paused outside of Kylie's bedroom door and spotted the little girl sleeping soundly on her bed, her stuffed teddy bear that he had gotten for her was tightly clutched against her chest. A smile spread across his face at the sight of her and he felt his heart swelling the slightest little bit.

While he and Ryan had yet to admit to each other that they loved one another, Jordan knew that the feeling was nearing the bursting point. His heart was full and every time he merely thought about the two girls, there was a certainty that came along with it. He was falling for her, fast, and while they had agreed to be exclusive, he wasn't sure when, or even if, Ryan would ever feel comfortable saying the words back to him.

Cole's once prominent presence in her life had hit her hard and he wasn't about to brush the man off simply because he was gone. He had given Ryan everything, a good life, a nice home, even the most perfect little girl, which proved that Cole had once been everything that Ryan could have ever imagined wanting. It was complicated, the way that he'd find her staring off occasionally, especially while she was with Kylie, and those were the moments he knew that she'd never, ever let Cole go completely.

Competing with a dead man wasn't a concern for Jordan, in the end, as long as Ryan was happy, what more could he ask for and maybe one day she'd feel comfortable enough to tell him that she loved him, until that day though, he wasn't going to scare her off by saying it first, even if all he wanted to do lately was sing it from the mountaintops.

With a final glance at Kylie's sleeping form, Jordan continued on his way down the hall and stepped into Ryan's bedroom, where he found her wearing a pair of old, worn out black shorts and a t-shirt that looked far too big on her to be one of her own. The sleeves were rolled up, revealing her paint splattered shoulders, and the hem was lifted up and tied above her hip, leaving a few inches of skin between the top of her shorts and the bottom of the shirt.

He leaned against the side of the doorframe and crossed his arms over his chest, watching carefully as she painted the back wall, the accent wall she called it, and did so with ease. He hadn't anticipated her starting the painting without him yet here she was, a roller in one hand, paint tray on the floor next to her, as she spread the dark grey colour over the wall.

She had her back to him and it was apparent that she hadn't noticed him watching her yet, which was just fine by Jordan. With swift, calculated steps, he moved forward, gliding across the floor and coming up behind her, slipping his arm around her waist and pressing his chest against her back.

She froze for a split second but once she realized it was him and not some threat, she relaxed into his hold, not even bothering to stop painting. Jordan leaned his head forward and pressed a kiss against the side of her neck and he knew that he had found her breaking point.

Without a word to him, she leaned down and set the roller in the paint tray before squirming in his hold. He loosened the grip he had on her and let her turn around in his arms before embracing her properly. Ryan looked up at him with a smile on her face and lifted her paint covered hands up, resting her palms against the sides of his face and meeting his gaze.

"She wanted to wait up and see you when you got home." Ryan said softly and her gaze flitted down to his lips before moving right back up to meet his eye. "But she was exhausted, chasing caterpillars is hard work you know."

"Sorry." Jordan murmured and leaned his head down, resting his forehead gently against hers with a smile on his face. "I had to deal with that kid."

"Derek Hale, that kid?" Ryan asked with a frustrated sigh. "Did you figure out what the hell was going on and why a guy who should look about my age looked like the teenaged version of himself?"

"Your guess is as good as mine at this point Ryan. Maybe he's got a little brother?" Jordan tossed out and loosened his grip on her. She let her hands fall away from his face and then proceeded to let her hands take up residence on his shoulder instead, her fingers gently drumming against his shirt.

"How Jordan? His mom died in the fire, in fact, most of his family died in the fire." Ryan pointed out and squeezed her eyes shut, an overwhelming feeling of sadness filling her heart. She sucked in a breath and held it, hoping that she could push away the hurt slowly seeping through her body.

Jordan pressed a sweet little kiss against her lips, bringing her back to him, her eyes opening at the motion. Ryan's fingers dug into his shoulders and she tensed at his actions, not entirely sure what her next move was going to be.

"Whatever happened today, it's over with now." Jordan whispered and ran his hands down her back, his palms resting against her hips as he held her in front of him. "Don't worry about anything other than Kylie, okay? I can handle everything else."

Ryan nodded her understanding and let her body relax against him, Jordan now supporting the weight of her as he held her upright. He peered at the half painted wall behind her, taking in the sight of what she had painted so far.

While it was only the wall that she had started on, the paint strokes seemed smooth and flawless, as though she had years of practice with painting. There were few streaks, which Jordan knew would disappear with the next coat, and the wall itself was free from absurdly obvious paint drip.

Jordan silently admitted that he was entirely surprised, Ryan took care of things and she took care of them to the best of her ability. There was no half-assing anything with her and he wondered if maybe it had something to do with Cole, or maybe even Kylie. She was certainly a strong individual who took pride in the things she did, that wasn't lost on Jordan at all, but the idea that Ryan would be so skilled at something as common as painting a wall seemed to pique his interest.

There was still so much about her that he didn't know, even if she had told him some of her deepest, most private secrets. It was the simple things that he didn't know that bothered him most, like who she had grown up with, what sorts of things had she participated in during her years in high school, what had been her favourite subject, things like that.

"You didn't talk to Haigh, did you?" Ryan asked suddenly, breaking the silence that had fallen over them as Jordan simply basked in the feeling of her in his arms.

"About you? No." Jordan replied honestly and she scrunched her nose up as he answered.

"I know you offered to talk to him and I said no, but I was thinking about it when I got home." Ryan paused and twisted her body slightly, gently dropping her head down to rest against his shoulder.

"And?" Jordan egged her on, giving her hips a slight squeeze to prompt her to go on.

"I don't know, I guess he really bugs me and he can't take a hint," she paused and tipped her head back, glancing up at him, "or the blunt statements that I make to him. He creeps me out, real bad."

"I can tell him to leave you alone, if you want?" Jordan offered, sensing her uneasiness about the whole situation. He couldn't imagine that she was confident in her decision to tell Jordan about Haigh and how he gave her the creeps, from what he understood about Ryan, she was a pretty independent person when it came to taking care of her business, but here she was, laying it all out on the line for him. If he was completely honest with her, Haigh creeped him out too.

"I don't want to cause any trouble." She mumbled and he noticed her cheeks flushing a nice, pale pink colour in embarrassment. "He's your partner right?"

"He is." Jordan nodded.

"I don't want to make things awkward for you."

Jordan let out a chuckle at her concern and loosened his grip on her altogether. She reluctantly pulled away from him but he latched his hands onto hers and kept her within reach, trying to make her see that he was more worried about her than things being awkward with his partner at work.

"If he bothers you, I'll talk to him, maybe I can find out what his deal is."

"His deal is that he's a creeper who has a thing for me." Ryan pointed out with a deadly serious look. "Cole was bigger than him so I imagine Haigh took his threats very seriously."

"You saying I'm not big enough to handle this?" Jordan asked in a teasing tone and she shook her head, letting out a small growl of frustration in the process.

"You're a nice guy, not that Cole wasn't nice, but I mean, when he threatened to hurt someone, it was believable. I can't see you hurting anyone, not because you're not big enough-"

"Trust me, when it comes down to it, I can take care of things that need to be taken care of." Jordan let out a chuckle and Ryan rolled her eyes. Leave it to the macho ego to make an appearance when she was only trying to raise her concerns. "Has he ever _tried_ anything with you?"

"Before Cole talked to him, he'd always flirt with me whenever he saw me even though he _knew_ I was with Cole. I ran into him a few times when I was pregnant and he'd make jokes about how it'd be a lot harder for him to chase me but it wouldn't get him to stop." Ryan explained in a low tone.

Even though he had known that at some point in her life before he had come along Ryan had been pregnant, as was evident by Kylie's presence in her life, for some reason, her statement had hit him pretty hard. The image of a severely pregnant Ryan filled his head and it wasn't too long until he could picture Haigh coming on to her, making offhanded remarks about how having a kid wouldn't stop him from wanting her.

The thought of Ryan, in a state of pregnancy, being hit on by his partner infuriated him. His grip on her hands tightened and she sucked in a breath, easily sensing his anger. Haigh was definitely creepy with Ryan and if Jordan had anything to say about it, it was going to stop.

"I guess I'll have a talk with him then, tell him to leave you alone." Jordan remarked, letting go of one of her hands, raising his palm up and brushing his thumb over her cheek. "Do me a favour though okay?"

"Yeah."

"If he says anything to you again, let me know?"

Ryan bowed her head, letting out a shaky breath in the process. Going to Jordan hadn't been the ideal situation but it was obvious to her that Haigh wasn't about to back off, especially considering she had asked him too and he hadn't even responded. If it hadn't been for Jordan scaring him off at the sheriff's station, she wasn't sure what he would do but it was clear he wasn't going to give up, not without some sort of incentive.

"You'll be the first person I call." Ryan pressed her lips together and gave him an uneasy smile.

"Good." Jordan smirked and tilted her head back, leaning in to make an attempt at kissing her.

She relaxed her neck and let him support her head as their lips met, yet again, in a gentle kiss. Kissing Jordan would never get old and Ryan found herself getting lost in the feelings that he brought up.

She'd always miss Cole, there was no doubt in her mind, but Jordan Parrish was certainly someone she was learning she could count on. With the added bonus of Kylie adoring him to no end, Ryan was feeling rather confident in her ability to pick out men.

Parting after a few seconds, Jordan felt her linger before she gave him a tiny little kiss on his cheek, this time he knew exactly what she was trying to convey, she was appreciative of him, thankful that he was in her life.

"Can I ask you something a little personal?" Jordan questioned in a low tone, fearful that if he said it too loud that he'd scare her off. This was a tender moment, at least he hoped it would be, but there was something nagging at the back of his mind that he just _had_ to know.

"Uh, I guess so." Ryan gave him an awkward little shrug in response.

"If you don't want to answer, you don't have to but I'm interested to know if you plan on having more kids?"

Ryan stiffened slightly in his hold and he embraced her tighter, trying to keep her calm. The question stuck on her mind though, did she plan on having more kids?

The thought hadn't really occurred to her before he had asked, but then again, it wasn't like she had much of an opportunity to consider her future, not while she was busy trying to pick up the pieces of her present.

Being a single mom with one kid was hard enough, would she really be able to handle two?

When Jordan sucked in a breath, she glanced at him and looked into his eyes, suddenly realizing the deeper meaning to his question. It wasn't just about her anymore, not by a long shot.

While the idea of having more kids was only now crossing her mind, she knew right away what he was implying. His question wasn't _just_ 'do you plan on having more kids', no, reading between the lines, she knew he really meant 'would you consider having more kids, _with me_ '?

While Kylie hadn't exactly been planned, Ryan knew that she wouldn't trade her little girl for anything in the world, especially now that she was her constant reminder of a life before Jordan, a life with Cole, but would she really consider the idea of having more kids?

The pregnancy had been hard enough on Ryan and that was with a partner who couldn't have been any more excited. She had barely made it through without completely breaking down but now she knew what to expect, she knew that it wouldn't be a walk in the park, she wouldn't feel the 'glow' like so many others claimed to feel. It was hard, it was tough and it was downright awful some days, but she had done it, she had made it through, but would she be able to do it again?

"I…" She paused and swallowed, trying to get the dry feeling out of her throat. "I'm not sure."

Jordan ran his hand downwards and used his index finger to tilt her head back, giving him the ability to look right into her eyes, which were now filling up with tears. With a gentle shake of her head, she moved away from his hand and turned to face the wall, which still needed finished, the paint still residing on the floor nearby.

"Ryan, I didn't mean to upset you." He whispered and took a step forward, running his palm along her forearm, feeling her soft skin against his.

"You didn't." She shook her head and straightened up, sucking in a breath before turning back around to face him. Her arms crossed over her chest and she looked at him, wondering how she could possibly explain to him what was running through her mind.

"Are you sure?" Jordan cocked his head to the side, remaining calm and still so as not to spook her.

"I'm not upset because you asked." She stumbled on her words and pressed her fingers into the flesh on her arms. "I just…I don't know how to say what I want to say."

"You don't have to say anything. I shouldn't have asked you-"

"It's a fair question." She cut him off and fixed him with a pointed look. "I just never really thought about it, I guess part of me just sort of assumed that it'd be me and Kylie for the rest of my life."

"So you never thought you'd find anyone to be with?" Jordan looked even more confused than ever. She was a good-looking woman who was a decent human being, there was absolutely no reason why she shouldn't have been able to find another person to be with, another person to love who would cherish her in return.

"I don't know!" She threw her hands into the air in frustration and let out a low growl. When her arms fell back to her sides, Jordan raised his hands in surrender but she shook her head at him. "Cole's been gone not even a year yet, I just figured that I'd have enough time to figure things out before I got involved again."

"I'm sorry." Jordan said softly and Ryan lifted a hand up, running her fingers through her vibrant blonde hair.

"I _like_ being with you, I do and maybe one day I'll be ready to have more kids, whether they're with you or someone else, I just- at this point in time I don't know." Her tone was much softer than it had been seconds ago and she seemed to calm down immediately, but that didn't make Jordan feel any better about what he had just done.

"Ryan I-"

"If that's a deal breaker then I'm the one who's sorry." She broke in and lowered her gaze to the floor. Jordan followed her lead and took in the sight of her bare feet, which were spotted with the paint, before looking down at his own feet, which were still encased in his boots.

"I don't think it is." Jordan admitted shyly and looked back at her feet, her toes wiggling slightly as he stared. "I should've left it alone though."

Ryan took a deep breath and extended her hand towards him, resting it over top of his shiny, golden deputy badge. Her thumb ran along the edge and she felt the cool metal against her warm hand, bringing her right back to the moment.

"This scares me." She murmured and studied the badge in detail.

His hand came up and his fingers curled around her wrist, barely putting any pressure on her skin. She peeled her eyes off the golden surface and met his eyes, not knowing what he was going to do next.

"This?" He asked, his tone low and laced with confusion.

"Us, your badge mostly. I've been there before and I know I should never have gotten involved with another deputy, but there's something about you…" She trailed off and Jordan glanced down at his badge, knowing how hard it must've been when she had lost Cole that fateful night.

"What happened to Cole, that's not going to happen to me, okay?"

She narrowed her eyes in on him and shook her head, knowing that there was no way he could say that and know for sure. Jordan remained silent though, knowing that she needed time to process, time to think about what she wanted to say next. He could see the look of sadness in her eyes and he knew that it was more than just Cole that had put it there.

She was repeating history, experiencing it all over again with him, and what was stopping it from ending just like it had the last time?

"Ryan, I swear to you, I'm not going out like that." Jordan said softly.

"Okay." She replied but the skepticism was clearly evident in her tone. "I can't go through that again."

Jordan gave her a nod of understanding. There was no way that he'd be able to do something like that to her, not again. She deserved a happy ending and maybe it was too early to tell but he definitely wanted to be a part of it.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Painting the bedroom with Ryan was quickly becoming something that Jordan was enjoying, even if more of the paint was ending up on their skin as opposed to the walls. He had left Ryan to change into his painting clothes, which consisted of an old t-shirt and a pair of nearly worn out shorts, and when he returned, she had managed to pull herself together enough so that she wasn't on the verge of tears, nor was she quiet and sad.

It was a welcome change and without too many words between them, Jordan had picked up a roller and joined right in.

When he felt a slight pressure on his back, he turned around just in time to witness her grinning at him, the back of his shirt covered in paint from her stealthy attack. He had wielded his roller back at her and managed to catch her side before she broke out into a jog and took off around the room, her shrieks of joy echoing in the nearly empty room.

Once he had managed to corner her, between two of the already dried walls, she surrendered to him but not before running her finger along the roller and then poking him on the end of the nose.

In retaliation, Jordan used the roller to cover his palm in paint and stretched his hand out, pressing it against her cheek, leaving his handprint there.

"Okay, okay, you win!" She laughed and lifted the sleeve of her t-shirt up, trying to use it to wipe off her face.

Jordan laughed at her before peeling his own shirt right off, offering it to her carefully, wary of the wet paint all down his back. She took it and used a clean portion to rub her cheek clean, motioning for him to come forward. When he did, she dabbed carefully at his nose, freeing his pores from the paint.

"If we keep going at this pace, we're never going to get this room painted." Jordan smirked and took a step forward, putting his hands out so that his palms were on the wall on either side of her head.

She immediately turned and watched with wide eyes as paint squished out from under his one hand, Jordan pulling his hand back and shooting her an apologetic look once he realized what he had done. On the wall beside her was his handprint though, it was too late to take it back.

"I'm going to wipe that off with your shirt." She muttered and twisted her body so that her hip was against the wall instead of her back. He rolled his eyes at her motions and moved his clean hand away from the wall, resting it on her hip instead. He was very careful with his paint covered hand and set it on her bare side, putting another painted hand print on her skin. She sucked in a breath of air at the feeling of the cool paint against her skin but quickly melted into his hold, neglecting the mess on the wall for the time being.

"I guess this means we're going to have to have a bath before we call it a night." Jordan murmured and leaned his head down, his lips pressing against the side of her neck. She let out a slight moan at the kiss and let his paint covered t-shirt fall to the ground.

Before she knew what was happening, he had her back pressed back up against the wall, his hands down low on her sides and his hips grinding against hers.

Well this was certainly not what she had been expecting when he had shown up, but she wasn't about to fight it.

"Maybe we should-"

When his teeth grazed across her skin, she froze in his hold and stopped talking completely. This was way too good of a feeling to give up now, even if all she was going to suggest was cleaning up.

"Shh." Jordan breathed out on her neck and she put her hands on his shoulders, her fingers digging into the flesh there.

"What if we took this to the bathroom?" She forced the words out, a shiver coursing up her spine as his fingers ghosted downwards, nabbing the back of her thigh before hoisting her leg up.

"I'm not opposed to that idea." Jordan mumbled and repeated his movements from seconds earlier, this time lifting up her other leg, holding her above the carpet with her back against the wall.

Ryan's arms circled around his neck and she held on for dear life, trying not to get too ahead of herself. When Jordan leaned his head back and met her eyes, she couldn't help but blush.

"I want you…so bad." She said softly and Jordan's lips turned up into a smile.

"Want him to do what mommy?"

Jordan's hands were ripped away from her thighs and she managed to get her feet to the carpet before she had a chance to fall. Both of them turned to face the bedroom door and spotted little Kylie standing there, her teddy bear dangling from her hand, Cole's old football jersey adorning her body and a tired look on her face.

Ryan ran her hands down her sides and stole a glance at Jordan, who was shirtless next to her. He seemed less fazed by the child's presence than she was but nonetheless, there was a look of embarrassment still lingering on his face.

"I want him to help me finish painting." Ryan threw out and hoped that it didn't sound as unsure as she felt.

"You guys are loud." Kylie grumbled and stepped into the room, heading right for the two of them.

Ryan bent down and nabbed Jordan's shirt off the floor, immediately handing it over and looking away from him as he pulled it back on. Kylie closed the distance between them and Ryan made a move to take hold of her but Jordan stepped forward.

"Can I?"

"Are you going to tuck me in Jordan?" Kylie asked with a small, lazy smile on her face.

Jordan looked to Ryan and she gave him an encouraging nod, signaling that it was okay with her. He bent down and grabbed the little girl, hauling her up and situating her against his hip.

"Careful of the paint." Ryan reminded him and he made sure that Kylie wasn't touching anywhere where there was paint.

She clung to him as he walked out of the bedroom and headed for her room, wandering inside and leaning down over the bed. He looked at her with a smile as he set her on the mattress, a matching smile on her face as she let him lay her down.

"We'll try to be quieter so you can sleep." Jordan teased and lifted her covers up to her waist, pausing to give the teddy bear a firm pat on the head. "You okay to go back to sleep?"

"Yeah." She said with a yawn and Jordan let out a little chuckle at the sight.

He watched as she rolled onto her side and curled up with the bear in her arms. When his eyes caught sight of the name on the back of the jersey, an idea struck him. Yes, that would look perfect in Ryan's new room; Cole's jersey framed and mounted on the wall, it would be a nice finishing touch, a pleasant surprise for Ryan and a constant positive reminder of the man that she and Kylie had lost.

"Kylie?" Jordan asked in a whisper and she opened one of her eyes to look at him.

"What?"

"Do you think maybe I could have that jersey in the morning?"

She opened her other eye and stared at him, "but mommy gave it to me."

"I know." Jordan replied and his eyes widened at yet another thought. "What if I offered you a trade?"

"A trade?"

"Yeah, I saw one of your dad's old police academy t-shirts tucked away in your mom's room, you can have that instead of the jersey."

"You're a police too, right?" She looked as though the gears in her head were spinning, what had he gotten himself into?

"Yeah."

"So that means you have a police shirt too?"

"Yes, I do." Jordan nodded.

"I can trade you this jersey for your t-shirt _and_ my daddy's." Kylie sounded firm with her offer and Jordan fought off the smile that was threatening to take over. She certainly drove a hard bargain, but it was a small price for him to pay to get his hands on that jersey.

"Deal." Jordan stated and stuck out his hand, waiting for her to shake it.

"Deal!"

Instead of shaking it though, Kylie wound her arm back and smacked his palm, a loud slapping sound erupting from the impact. Jordan chuckled at her actions, leaned down and pressed a sweet little kiss against the top of her head and straightened back up.

Kylie shut her eyes and beamed up at him, hugging her teddy bear closer as he made a move to head towards the door. When he was back out in the hall, he shook his head in amusement at what had just transpired.

If trading away one of his police academy t-shirts meant he got his hands on Cole's old jersey to frame, well it would be worth it when all was said and done.

Even if Ryan wanted to get rid of the reminders of Cole littering her home, Jordan was going to make sure that there was _something_ left of the man, Kylie, at least, deserved that much.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _For all you fans out there of my Peter/OC Story 'The Last of Us', check it out, it's been entered into a fanfiction contest: i_** ** _nkitt.c o m_** ** _(/)stories(/)27221 (just take out the spaces and brackets). Please take a look and vote!?_**

 ** _Short(ish) and sweet this time, thanks to everyone who continues to read and enjoy this story._**

 ** _How do you feel about Jordan and Ryan possibly having kids in the future?_**

 ** _Guest: Officer Asshole, I like that! Thank you for the awesome review!_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Derek will probably, most definitely show up more...him and Ryan are not done 'catching up' at all._**

 ** _A: I agree, she wouldn't want anyone fighting her battles but she also wouldn't want to do anything that would put Kylie in danger (because let's face it, Haigh wouldn't back down just because she has a kid). Aw, well thanks so much (once again) for the lovely review._**


	23. Chapter 23

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 23:_**

Ryan had been a little hesitant to leave Jordan with Kylie and her father to head to work but after assurances, from each person, she had left the house and driven right to the hospital.

The idea of letting Jordan incorporate himself into more of their finally tuned family routines was something that caused Ryan a little bit of anxiety. On one hand, she adored having him around to help out and he was amazing with Kylie but for him to weave himself in with the rest of her family almost seamlessly, well she wasn't entirely sure that was something she was ready for.

Cole still lingered on her mind and she still felt herself wondering if it was too fast to move on from him. Then it really started to weigh on her mind: did she really like Jordan as much as she thought or was it because he was the first decent guy to even look her way since Cole had been taken from her and Kylie?

Was she ready to move on, was she really ready to let go of Cole and let another man step into her life the way Jordan was?

Ryan sucked in a breath and glanced down at her phone, checking the time. She had a few minutes until her shift started but if she sat in the lounge and waited, what other nerve-wracking thoughts would float into her head? She'd bite the bullet, she'd head out onto the floor and start work a few minutes early in order to avoid thinking about Jordan and how she truly felt about him.

Stepping out into the hallway, Ryan immediately locked her eyes on the all too familiar face of Melissa McCall, who was wandering down the hall towards her, one of the newer doctors, Doctor Geyer, moving in stride next to her. Without thinking too much about it, Ryan wandered up to them and joined them, walking along beside Melissa as she tried to wait for an opening. Once she talked to Melissa, she could get a better handle on what needed to still be done from the night shift.

"Good morning Miss Sloane." The doctor smiled and Ryan gave him a smile right back.

"How are you?" Ryan asked and the doctor gave her a nonchalant shrug.

"Could be a lot better, we're trying to figure out what to do about the staffing issues here at the hospital." Doctor Geyer answered and Ryan cocked her head to the side, now concerned for her job and not just for her family life. "The higher ups think we could cut back on the nurses."

"The nursing staff's already spread too thin." Melissa pointed out and Ryan found herself pausing in her walking before falling back in step next to the older woman.

"We don't have enough hours as it is." Ryan added and shook her head. This wasn't happening, this _couldn't_ be happening. She needed this job, she needed the money, there wasn't any way around it for her.

"I know there's never a good place to make cuts, but this hospital has seen a bizarre amount of damage and the insurance isn't going to cover it. We have to cut back." Doctor Geyer explained while Ryan fought off the urge to growl in frustration. She depended on her job, just like every other nurse that she worked with. They couldn't cut back their hours, too many people needed the shifts.

"Maybe I can pull some money from pediatrics-"

"Your shift is over." Doctor Geyer let out a chuckle and Ryan flashed him an agreeing smile, easily seeing how tired her co-worker looked. Melissa McCall was definitely a hard worker but she certainly wasn't super woman, even nurses needed rest once in a while. "I'm exhausted just looking at you. Please go home and get some sleep."

"Agreed, you look like you're about to pass out." Ryan added quickly and hoped that she could talk to the older nurse for just a few minutes before she left. Ryan wanted to make sure there weren't any pressing matters from the previous shift that needed to be taken care of.

"Okay, I need to get some dinner first." Melissa stated and came to a stop in front of the main desk. Ryan ran her hand down Melissa's arm and turned towards the lady behind the desk, waiting for her to hand over the charts that would need to be taken care of.

"Melissa It's 7:00 am." Doctor Geyer pointed out and Ryan took hold of the charts that the woman behind the desk handed over. She waited for Melissa to argue, to respond to the doctor's comment in any way but nothing but silence was heard.

When Ryan turned to face the front doors of the emergency department, she realized exactly what had rendered the doctor and Melissa speechless.

A young man, most likely in his teens, approached the door with faltered steps. His skin was clearly pale and clammy, there was blood on his hands and he wasn't wearing a shirt. There was something obviously wrong with this kid and Ryan made a move to rush forward, to help him, but his blood covered palm came up and pressed against the glass portion of the doors, leaving a haunting red hand print there.

Ryan froze and stood next to Melissa, watching in awe as the kid struggled to push the door open. When he managed to slip through, he stumbled forward for just a couple of steps before collapsing to his knees. Her eyes never left his as he dropped right down onto the floor, his stomach against the cool, dirty tiles and his left hand stretching out in front of him.

"Oh my god." She heard Melissa gasp but it was enough to break Ryan out of her trance.

Rushing forward, she dropped the charts in her hand to the top of the desk and slid on the floor on her knees closer to the teenager. With everything she could muster, she gently rolled the kid onto his back and looked down into his eyes. Before she knew it, Melissa and Doctor Geyer were right beside Ryan, helping her as they checked out the boy.

"Can you tell us your name?" Doctor Geyer instructed and the boy, who was clearly gasping for breath, gave a firm nod of his head. Well that was a good sign, at least he wasn't hurting so bad to the point where he couldn't move his head, that wouldn't have been good, not at all.

"Sean…Sean Walcott." The kid's voice was raspy and laced with pain.

Ryan felt the doctor press his hand against her shoulder, that's when she let herself breathe. Sucking in a breath of air, she tried to keep herself calm. This was her job, this was what she was trained to do: get a patient, clean them up and make an attempt to make them feel better. If she froze up, especially with Doctor Geyer _and_ Melissa McCall watching, chances were good, she'd be on the chopping block first.

"We need a gurney, stat!" Ryan called out and felt the doctor nudge her backwards. He dropped down into a squat next to her and gently weaseled his way in closer to the kid. Ryan blinked rapidly in an attempt to clear her head but nothing seemed to be working, she could see the kid, she could smell blood, but part of her brain wasn't working the way it was supposed to be.

Was this kid in trouble? Had he lured some sort of danger to the hospital?

Ryan's mind flashed back to the night that she had seen Stiles standing in front of the desk, the same night that the mysterious black figures had massacred everyone they possibly could within the hospital. Was this something similar, were more people going to get hurt because of this kid?

Backing away, Ryan stumbled to her feet and lifted her arms up in the air, letting her palms rest against the top of her head as she tried to regulate her breathing. The black figures had been far beyond her pay grade, was this kid going to cost her more of her sanity, even though she wasn't sure how much strength she had left to use in order to keep herself together.

"Ryan…" Melissa's voice was soft and reassuring and Ryan turned her attention to the older nurse, who was now standing next to her. "Ryan go and catch your breath. We've got this."

Ryan tried to respond but she found out quickly that she was mute. She couldn't find the words, she couldn't make her mouth work, no, she couldn't communicate at all, not with her speech. She simply nodded her understanding at Melissa and took off in a quick walk down the hall, back towards the lounge.

Once she stepped into the lounge, she let the door fall shut behind her and pressed her back against it, sucking in a deep breath and holding it as she tried to get her heart to stop pounding.

This couldn't keep happening to her, she couldn't keep getting overwhelmed by things that weren't happening directly to her. She was a nurse, she needed to be composed, she needed to have her wits about her, and she certainly couldn't give Doctor Geyer a reason to cut her shifts.

"God dammit!" Ryan hissed and smacked the door behind her. She pushed her body away from it and threw herself forward, dropping down onto the couch in the middle of the room.

Ryan shut her eyes and focused on her family: Kylie, Ken, even Jordan flooded her mind and she knew that she needed this job, she needed to be good at what she did in order to provide for her daughter.

Standing up, Ryan headed over to where she had left her bag. She shoved her hand into the outer pocket and dug around for her cell phone, quickly pulling it free and looking down at the screen. A picture of Kylie and Ken adorned the background and Ryan instantly felt herself relaxing the tiniest little bit.

Within seconds, she had the number dialed and the phone pressed to her ear, waiting for Jordan to answer. She didn't want to give her father cause for concern, not yet at least, she'd talk to him when she got home after her shift, for now, she'd speak with Jordan and hope that he knew enough to calm her down and reassure her that everything would be fine.

"This is Parrish."

Ryan let out a contented sigh at the sound of his voice, his real voice, not just his answering machine. Yes, this could work, if she could just get her mind off of what she had just witnessed, maybe she'd be okay, maybe she'd be able to finish her shift without having another panic attack.

"It's me." Ryan whispered and flopped back down onto the couch.

"Ry, are you okay?" His voice was laced with concern and she squeezed her eyes shut, blowing out a breath as she figured out what her next words were going to be.

"Physically, yeah, I'm okay."

"Mentally? Emotionally?" Jordan pressed, Ryan relaxed further into the couch.

"I guess…I just, I freaked out. This kid came in all covered in blood and I just panicked." Ryan confessed, hoping that Jordan would be able to soothe her, to calm her enough so that she could get back out on the floor without having to forfeit any paid time.

"You freaked out?"

"Yeah, I don't know, I just remembered the night that those _things_ attacked the hospital." She explained. "I don't know if something was after him or-"

"That's what the police are for." Jordan cut her off with a teasing tone. "I'll call the sheriff, see what he's up to and hopefully he'll be right there to help you guys out."

Ryan nodded her head and then swallowed the lump that had been forming in her throat. She sucked in a breath and felt herself calming down at the mere thought of the sheriff being there at the hospital with her, he'd protect her, he'd protect all the nurses, that was his job.

"Okay. Okay yeah." Ryan mumbled and sat on the edge of the couch. "Thank you."

"If you need me, for anything, you call me okay?"

"Yes." Ryan answered and brought her eyes up to the door, knowing that she'd have to go back out there once she hung up. "I'll see you tonight, right?"

"Of course." Jordan seemed rather chipper and she picked up on how genuinely happy he sounded at the mentioning of seeing him after her shift. "I look forward to it. Now, are you good?"

She let out a sigh, "I'm good."

"Then I'll see you later."

"Yeah. Bye Jordan."

"Bye Ryan."

She listened until he hung up and then she slowly pulled the phone away from her ear. She stood up, headed back to her bag and tucked her phone back into the outer pocket. Shutting her eyes, she took in a few deep breaths, silently said a little prayer and straightened up before turning back to face the doorway.

"I got this." She murmured and moved forward, hoping that she wasn't lying to herself. It definitely wouldn't have been the first time.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Jordan wasn't all that thrilled to leave Ryan's place in order to head over to a crime scene but after reminding himself that it was all part of the job, he sucked it up and headed to the station. He hadn't been at his desk for very long, just enough time to grab the file folder that the sheriff had left for him, the file pertaining to the mass murder of the Walcotts.

There hadn't been a lot of chatter about the case at the station but he had gotten the gist of it, he knew that the only survivor was a teenage boy, the rest of his family had been decimated during the night, but that was enough to set Jordan on edge. Had this kid, this Sean Walcott, been the reason that Ryan had called him earlier in a state of panic?

Jordan shook his head and pulled his deputy's truck onto the street in front of the Walcott residence with ease. Once the vehicle was turned off, he relaxed into his seat and reached across, taking the file into his hands before flipping it open.

Gruesome photos were tucked inside and if Jordan hadn't been a seasoned cop, a person who had seen some pretty nasty stuff in his life already, he'd have been disturbed by the images in front of him. A male was laid out on the floor in a series of four photos, stab wounds littering his back and shoulders, blood easily seen seeping out of the injuries.

Running his fingers over the pictures, Jordan couldn't help but wonder if these pictures were similar to the pictures that would have been filed away from the night the massacre at the station had happened. Had Ryan ever laid eyes on such horrific images? Would she have been shown crime scene pictures at all or would she have only been called in to identify the body?

 _Had_ she been called down to identify the body?

Jordan hadn't really sat and thought about the sorts of things that Ryan would've had to do surrounding Cole's death but now that he was sitting outside of the Walcott's going over the case file, he found himself wondering how deep into the investigation she had been pulled or even what she had seen regarding that night.

She didn't seem to bring it up too often and when she did bring up Cole, she rarely mentioned the way he actually died, no, it was more so that he was gone, not the how or the why. He couldn't really blame her though, if he had been in Ryan's position, he wasn't sure how much he'd divulge to anyone, especially if it was still fairly fresh.

Letting out a sigh, Jordan shook his head and tried to clear his mind, to get Ryan out of his head for a little while longer. If he could just do what he needed to do and get his shift over with, then he'd be able to give her his undivided attention, he'd offer her a shoulder to lean on if she ever needed to talk to him about _anything_ , but at that very moment, he had to focus his energy on the Walcott slaughter.

Leaning back in his seat, Jordan turned his attention to the house and watched the front door. When a shadow moved inside the front door, he furrowed his eye brows together and popped his door open. Had someone managed to get inside? Was the killer back to finish the job or was there something more sinister going on?

As he set his feet on the ground, he popped the thin leather strap off the butt of his gun and pulled it free from the holster. With his gun firmly gripped in his hand, he quickly made his way towards the house, bounding up the steps and pushing the door open.

It moved forward easily, emitting a loud creak, and Jordan felt his stomach knot up with nerves. Something was clearly wrong here, something didn't _feel_ right.

With his gun still drawn and poised in front of him, he stepped over the threshold and looked around, searching for the source of the shadow.

"Beacon County Sheriff's Department! This is a crime scene, show yourself!"

His tone was demanding and he hoped that whoever, or whatever, was inside the house wasn't going to pose a threat to him. He was by himself and sure he could handle a crime scene but whoever was inside had an advantage, they had the element of surprise.

Jordan took a few more steps into the house and prepared himself to wander into the dining room, just off the main hall. When he caught a slight movement out of the corner of his eye, he jerked his entire body towards the motion and pointed his gun in that direction.

At the sight of the one and only Lydia Martin standing in front of him, Jordan let out a breath and lowered his gun, looking at her as though she was an alien. She certainly shouldn't have been at the crime scene, let alone inside the house, yet here she was, in all of her teenage glory, wandering around inside the Walcott home.

"What are you doing here?" Jordan demanded and stole another glance around, turning his back to her and looking out at his truck parked on the road in front of the house.

"You wouldn't understand." Lydia replied, a hint of skepticism in her tone.

His eyes were right back on her and he shook his head, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. There were rumours around the sheriff's station surrounding Lydia Martin but he hadn't had the chance to find out if they were something he should have to worry about. Seeing her in the house, in front of his very eyes, he knew that there was more to whatever was going on than even he could've imagined.

"Try me." He egged her on and waved towards the door, hoping to get her out of the house before she contaminated the crime scene any further. Lydia gave him a half-hearted shrug and took off in the opposite direction, heading deeper into the home, Jordan following along behind her closely.

"I _would_ try to explain it, but I've never gotten a satisfactory explanation myself." Lydia countered.

"Just an unusual habit of showing up at places where people have been brutally murdered?" Jordan inquired and Lydia came to a stop in front of him. She cocked her head to the side before turning around and facing him head on.

"Are you saying I have a reputation?" Lydia asked, narrowing her eyes in on him.

"An unusual one. Maybe you're psychic."

"Don't tell me _you_ believe all that?" Lydia scoffed. Jordan rolled his eyes at her and remained standing right where he was as she stepped around him, heading back in the direction that they had just come from.

"I'd like to say I don't believe in anything but I keep an open mind." Jordan pointed out, his thoughts drifting back to the day that he and Haigh had brought in a kid who was supposedly Derek Hale but was way too young to be the man in question. "But if you're looking for dead bodies, I think you're a little late."

Yes, she was certainly too late for finding the dead bodies belonging to the Walcotts. They had been found early in the morning, so early that it was still dark outside. Jordan hadn't originally been a part of the team working the case but it hadn't taken the sheriff too much longer to decide he needed more man power working towards solving the crime.

His eyes were fresh and his mind was clearer than the deputies who had been first on the scene. If he was lucky, Jordan would be able to see something that had been missed, something that had the potential to blow the case wide open.

Jordan's eyes never left the back of her head, even as she stared at the wood paneled wall in front of her. He waited for her to reply, staying silent and giving her the opportunity to respond but she didn't say a word.

Instead, she took a couple of steps closer to the panelling on the wall and reached her hand out, pressing it against the darkened surface.

A puff of smoke erupted from the crack in the wall and it began shifting forward, breathing life into a darkened passageway.

Without a second of hesitation, Jordan readied his gun in front of him once again and gingerly set his palm on her shoulder, nudging her away from the eerie doorway before producing his flashlight.

He stepped forward quickly and turned his back to the wall, pointing his gun and flashlight down the scary hallway. The beam of light reflected off the dank brick walls, cobwebs flooding the spaces between the joists, but there didn't seem to be any immediate danger to them, not yet anyways.

Jordan slowly moved forward, his flashlight illuminating the wood joists of the walls, the bare pipes secured to the brick, and even more cobwebs flooded his vision. Glancing behind him, noticing Lydia following him, he pressed forward, hoping and praying that this would end decently. He didn't want to get himself hurt, he didn't want to put Ryan though any more trouble, all he wanted to do was find the end of the tunnel as well as whatever was awaiting him there, so long as it promised something good.

A few more steps later, he approached an opening, which was covered with plastic strips, similar to a curtain. He slipped his finger against the trigger of his gun and stole one more look at Lydia, who was still right behind him.

With a quick, swift movement, he pushed himself through the plastic curtain-like strips and came out on the other side, into a larger room. With a quick sweep of the darkened room with his flashlight, he deemed it safe enough for them to take a few seconds to breathe.

Turning to the left, Jordan's light landed on a switch and before he had a chance to really think about what he was doing, he reached his hand out and flipped it, bringing the room they were standing in to life.

With his gun and flashlight tucked back into his belt, he rung his hands together and felt the cold seeping into his body. Whatever this room was, it was kept at sub-zero temperatures and if he was cold in his jacket and long pants, then the girl behind him had to be freezing. The sooner he could get answers and get out of there, the better off both he and Lydia would be.

Dozens upon dozens of bags hung from the rafters and Jordan took a minute to study what was right in front of him. It was creepy and far too weird, an odd feeling took over his gut and he stepped forward.

"I think it's a game locker, like venison." Jordan explained and moved closer to the nearest bag dangling from the joists above. "Hunting's legal in some parts of the state, but…"

He took another calculated look around the room and narrowed his eyes. No, no something wasn't right, this felt all too wrong, as though there was more to this room than simple venison. There were far too many bags hanging for his liking and the bags were much too thin.

"What is it?" Lydia's voice pulled his focus back to the bag in front of him.

He reached his hand out and grabbed the zipper between his index finger and thumb. The sound of the zipper's teeth echoed in the dimly lit room but Jordan kept moving it downwards, desperate to get a look at what was inside.

When the zipper was undone enough so that the flaps of the bag fell open, he swallowed back the feeling of nausea bubbling up from his stomach.

"It's not venison." Jordan pointed out and locked eyes with the dead, cold woman inside the bag.

No, this was certainly not what he had been expecting at all. So much for a simple crime scene guard.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _For all you fans out there of my Peter/OC Story 'The Last of Us', check it out, it's been entered into a fanfiction contest: i_** ** _nkitt.c o m_** ** _(/)stories(/)27221 (just take out the spaces and brackets). Please take a look and vote!?_**

 ** _As always, thanks to everyone who continues to read and enjoy this story!_**

 ** _And here we have Ryan being introduced to Sean Walcott the Wendigo, well doesn't she just have all the luck. Do you think she'll be able to handle everything? What happens if she ends up seeing more, like Sean Walcott digesting the deputy?_**

 ** _Guest: Wouldn't they make the cutest parents!? And Kylie as a big sister, too adorable. Thank you for the wonderful review!_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Kylie's a bit of a hustler lol. Thanks so much for the review!_**

 ** _A: Well, there is the whole "Haigh setting him on fire" thing that we haven't gotten too yet lol so maybe he's not going to back off Ryan anyways? Um, hmm, there's nothing specific that I can think of, just, what you like, what you don't like, I'm currently trying to write Ryan in season 5, so if there's anything you want to see or suggest in that regard, I'm all ears! Thank you so much for your continuous support and I really hope you continue enjoying the story!_**

 ** _Alice Willliams: No problem, it was just as good as Deputy Sexy lol. Thanks for the reviews and I hope you keep reading and enjoying_**


	24. Chapter 24

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 24:_**

Ryan had left the staff lounge feeling way more confident than she had when she had initially run into the room but that didn't mean she wasn't still a little bit freaked out by what she had seen. The idea of taking more time off from work had crossed her mind on more than one occasion lately but she needed the money, and she knew that if she started taking too much time off, then she'd have even more trouble when it came for her to actually be at work.

Melissa had found her shortly after she had started doing her rounds, taking on a patient who required a few simple stitches, which Ryan easily took care of, once she had calmed herself down as the memories from the last time she was supposed to stitch up a wound crossed her mind. She had managed to seal up the injury without a hitch though and quickly discharged the patient before letting out a huge breath.

Her counterpart had informed her that the kid who had come in covered in blood was, in fact, fine, apart from some serious mental trauma there wasn't much the hospital could do for young Sean Walcott except keep him comfortable. Melissa had gone on to further explain to Ryan why he was covered in blood and told her all about her little trip to the morgue where she had met up with the sheriff.

"You know, if you were anywhere else but the morgue, I'd tease you." Ryan chuckled and wandered down the hall next to Melissa, who was heading for Sean's room with the intent of checking to make sure he was still holding up okay.

"Tease me, for what?" Melissa shot back and slowed her pace down, coming to a stop outside of the young man's door.

"Well you're always going on about how cute me and Deputy Parrish would be together-"

"But you _are_ together, aren't you?"

Ryan gaped at Melissa and shook her head, "don't change the subject."

"Fine but I'm coming back to this particular topic." Melissa laughed and Ryan scowled at her, Melissa raising her hands in defense and giving her a nod implying for her to continue with her point.

"You and the sheriff are perfect for each other." Ryan pointed out with a smirk. "You're both single parents, you're both decent people and to top it all off, your kids are already best friends."

"At this point, I'm not so sure that anything's really going to happen." Melissa bowed her head and Ryan could tell that she was saddened by whatever was on her mind.

"Why?"

"My husband's back in town, he has been for a while."

"Uh, no, I think I knew that. What's it matter though, you didn't work before, what makes this time different?" Ryan asked and reached a hand out, giving Melissa a reassuring pat on the arm. Melissa brought her eyes up and met Ryan's gaze before forcing a smile in her direction.

"It's complicated." Melissa breathed the words out. "There's a lot of history there that I can't just ignore, you know?"

"I don't know but I guess if you're not ready, then I can't really tell you what I think about the whole situation. Just know that you and Sheriff Stilinski would make an absolutely adorable couple."

"We'd have stiff competition from you and the deputy." Melissa's eyes brightened at the idea of a topic change and Ryan knew better than to fight her on it. The older nurse was clearly done conversing about her own love life, or lack of, but she was fired up and ready to put in her two cent's on Ryan's love life.

"Probably." Ryan shrugged. "We could always double date though."

Melissa gave Ryan a chuckle and nodded her appreciation, "so you and Parrish, you _are_ together then?"

Ryan paused and thought about the question. They had decided to be exclusive but neither one had mentioned anything more than that. Were they boyfriend and girlfriend? Were they friends with benefits? Ryan wasn't entirely sure what to call them but she knew that she liked being with Jordan. He had brought a little bit of light back into her life, he had made her feel a bit better about the unsettling loss in her life now that Cole was gone.

"We're exclusive." Ryan answered, using the words that they two of them had agreed upon. "Haven't said 'I love you' or anything like that though."

"Do you?"

"Do I?" Ryan mimicked her words and looked at Melissa with a confused expression on her face.

"Do you love him?" Melissa clarified and gave Ryan a gentle shove on the shoulder.

"Uh…" Ryan trailed off and considered what she wanted her answer to be. She didn't not love Jordan but did that mean that she actually loved him?

The thought of what she had with Cole crossed her mind and she couldn't help but smile at the memories. She had loved Cole, with all of her heart and he had loved her right back but would she ever be able to feel that with someone else, someone who wasn't Kylie's father.

Thinking about it for a few more seconds, Ryan found herself scared at the fact that she was already starting to feel the same way towards Jordan.

"You've got that look on your face." Melissa teased and Ryan felt her mind being pulled back to reality. "That goofy lovesick smile."

"Well-"

"You know it's okay to love him. It's okay to love someone else. You don't have to spend the rest of your life being loyal to a man that's no longer with us."

Ryan felt her heart pick up in pace. Melissa brought up a good point but did that mean she was ready to let go of Cole?

"I'm just a little nervous to admit that I love anyone anymore." Ryan said in a soft tone, fearful that if the words were too loud, they'd become all the more jarring.

"That's understandable." Melissa remarked. "Whatever you feel for him though, you should let him know."

Ryan pressed her lips together and took another quick second to consider what she really felt for Jordan. He always put a smile on her face when she needed him too, he never failed to make her feel like she was doing a decent job at being a mom and he never abandoned her when she needed to feel someone next to her.

He had talked her into redoing her room, he had made a good point about not sleeping on the couch for the rest of her life and he had made friends with Kylie nearly flawlessly. If Kylie liked him, that just made it all the better for Ryan.

"Yeah." Ryan tilted her head to the side and let out a small sigh. "I think I do love him."

"I knew it!" Melissa beamed at her and took her into a hug. Ryan fought off the urge to laugh as Melissa rocked her back and forth roughly before finally letting her go. "Also, you two would make gorgeous babies."

"I don't think that's going to be happening any time soon." Ryan pointed out but let out a little laugh. "Come on, you go check on Sean and I'll grab the next case from the front."

"Fine but don't think I'll let this go." Melissa threw her head back and grinned.

Ryan shook her head at the older woman and took off down the hall, glancing back to catch the back of Melissa as she disappeared into Sean Walcott's room.

When her eyes locked on Scott McCall and Stiles Stilinski standing at the front desk, Ryan stopped in her tracks and studied the younger boy between them. It was clear to her, even from a good fifteen feet away, that whoever they had with them was the injured one, his ankle was a nice purplish-yellow colour, the bruise extending down onto the top of his foot.

Shaking her head, Ryan took up her stride again and made her way around behind the desk where she met Stiles' curious gaze.

"You know, you two never cease to amaze me." Ryan mumbled and Stiles threw on what she could only assume was meant to be a charming grin.

"It's not me that's hurt this time." Stiles pointed out and used his head to motion towards the kid between him and Scott. "Liam's not as invincible as he thought."

"Well I'm sure with you two around, he didn't stand much of a chance." Ryan remarked and went right to work, searching out the paperwork that they'd need to fill out.

Before she could gather up the forms, Melissa appeared in front of the desk and took up a stance in front of the boys. Scott tossed her an innocent look while Stiles threw his hand into the air in a waving motion.

"Uh, hi mom." Scott's voice came out uneasy and lacking the usual confidence causing Ryan to stifle a laugh. The kid would never understand how nice it was for Melissa to see his face while she was at work, even if she gave him the impression she was more irritated than anything by being bothered at work.

"This is Liam." Ryan interrupted and lifted the forms up, setting them on the desk and sliding them towards Scott, who was still looking at his mom.

"Let me go grab a wheelchair." Melissa replied with a shake of her head.

Ryan watched her head down the hall and Scott grabbed the edges of the forms, sliding them off the desk and taking them into his hold. Ryan motioned towards the chairs just across the hall and he headed over to them, dropping down and waiting patiently as Melissa fetched a wheelchair. Stiles helped poor little Liam over to the chairs too but before they could both get sitting down, Melissa reappeared and wheeled the chair right up to Liam.

Ryan stepped out from behind the desk and helped Liam gingerly sit in the seat, motioning for Stiles to let him go. Once he was safely sitting down, Ryan grabbed a pen off the desk and extended it towards Scott.

"Don't worry Liam, we'll take good care of you." Melissa remarked, wheeling Liam down the hall and leaving Ryan in the waiting area with Scott and Stiles.

"What'd you two do this time?" Ryan asked with a sympathetic smile.

"Nothing, I swear!" Stiles countered and Ryan narrowed her eyes in on him. "Well, uh, okay, maybe we could've been a little less aggressive defending the net but hey, the little-"

"He'll be okay, won't he?" Scott broke in and Ryan gave him a little smile.

"He came in breathing, that's a good sign." She pointed out, tossed one last smile towards them and disappeared down the hall, heading for another, more pressing patient.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Ryan had passed by the waiting area a few more times since Liam had been wheeled away and had noticed right away the lack of Stiles. Scott was still sticking around though and Ryan figured that as long as he wasn't with his devilish sidekick then Scott would be okay in the emergency room department.

So she continued to keep an eye on him and if it hadn't been for the saddened expression on his face, she might've been able to ignore him, but there was something about the way he looked around, the way he constantly straightened up, that had Ryan on red alert.

After coming back from seeing yet another stitch patient, she took note that Scott had disappeared from sight. It wasn't uncommon for visitors to disappear, maybe he had gotten hungry, he easily could've had to go to the bathroom, so, making a mental note to walk by in a little bit, Ryan carried on with her job.

Melissa appeared behind Ryan and gently ran her hand across her back, drawing Ryan's attention to her and smiling. Ryan shook her head and let out a tired sigh. Her shift was nearing the end and she knew that it wouldn't be much longer until she was at home, with Kylie and her dad, and hopefully Jordan later on.

"I was going to go check on Sean again, he's still not eating." Melissa stated and let out a barely audible growl of frustration.

"He's got to be getting hungry." Ryan whispered, knowing that the boy hadn't eaten anything since he had arrived at the hospital many hours ago.

"Maybe you can give it a try, just see if you can't get him to eat?" Melissa suggested.

Ryan sucked in a breath and nodded that she would definitely give it a try but before Melissa could walk away, Ryan latched her hand onto the woman's wrist and carefully tugged her back, bringing her to a stance in front of her.

"Can you come in with me?" Ryan asked in a low tone, somewhat embarrassed by how she had reacted to Sean's initial entry into the hospital. She didn't want to be left alone with him in case she freaked out again, which was very possible, and when Melissa's arm moved around, her palm pressing against Ryan's lower back, Ryan knew that Melissa wasn't going to leave her by herself, not if she wasn't comfortable with it.

Together, the two of them walked down the hallway, this time in silence, as they headed for Sean Walcott's room.

Ryan caught sight of the sky from out of one of the windows in one of the examination rooms and she made a mental note that it was already starting to get dark. Pushing the idea of overtime to the back of her mind, she continued walking beside Melissa. It wasn't that she couldn't have worked more hours if she needed to but she was mentally exhausted and she wanted to get home to Kylie, which just meant that this trip to Sean's room was going to have to be quick if she was going to get out on time.

Melissa ushered Ryan to the door and took the lead, turning the handle and pushing it open before stepping into the dark room. Ryan remained behind her and she glanced out at the rest of the hall, searching for more people nearby. Her gut clenched and she sucked in a breath, hoping that she could keep herself together but the thought of talking to the kid who had come in covered in blood made her uneasy.

She didn't want anything bad to happen to her and if she avoided sketchy situations then maybe she could keep herself in one piece and live a peaceful life with her baby girl, her father and Jordan.

"Sean, are you awake?" Melissa called out softly and reached her hand into the room, pressing her palm against the wall in search of the light switch. Ryan took a step closer to her and waited patiently, hoping Sean would reply quickly.

"Sean?" Ryan called out in what she knew was a soothing tone, the very same tone she used on Kylie when she had suffered a nightmare.

"The sheriff's on his way, I'm going to need you to wake up."

As soon as Melissa found the light switch, she flipped it on, illuminating the room. Before either of them could say another word, Melissa held her hand out and motioned towards the bed, which was very empty. Ryan furrowed her brows together in confusion and nudged Melissa forward. It wasn't too farfetched of a thought that maybe the kid had gotten up to go to the bathroom, maybe he had decided he was hungry after all and had gone in search of food.

The door creaked all the way open and Ryan kept close to Melissa, the two of them stepping into the room and heading for the end of the bed, which is precisely where they locked their eyes on Sean.

"What the fuck!" Ryan shrieked and grabbed at Melissa's arm, pulling on it roughly and trying to get her away from the carnage in front of her.

If she had been terrified when the mysterious, sword wielding ninjas had attacked the hospital and forced her to hide in a closet, well then she was scared out of her mind at the sight in front of her now.

Sean Walcott was crouched on the ground, more blood covered his hands, his arms, his face as he leaned over the deputy's body. Blood was pooled all around the man, streaks of it erupting from the edges, smears where someone had clearly run their hands through it were evident on what had once been sterile white tile flooring.

When Ryan finally locked her eyes on Sean's hands though, she went rigid and lost the ability to breath. Her heart pounded against her chest and she tried to scream, with everything she had, she tried to call out but there was no sound, nothing at all.

"I couldn't help it, I'm so hungry." Sean said calmly and looked up at them both, some piece of the deputy's innards was in his hand, his teeth were biting into the fleshy organ in his hold. "I'm just so hungry!"

Ryan leapt back at the sound of his demonic voice, the sight of his pure white eyes had spooked her to the core and if that hadn't sent her fleeing from the room, the multiple rows of razor sharp teeth would've. She let out an ear piercing scream and turned on her heels, her feet sliding in the blood that littered the floor but Ryan kept trying to get away.

She didn't want to die, she didn't want to get eaten like the poor, unfortunate deputy, which meant that she was going to run, she was going to try to get herself the hell out of there and as soon as she could find a safe and secure closet, she'd lock herself in it until the world was a better place.

Melissa didn't move though and when Ryan regained her footing, she looked at Melissa, who was frozen in place.

Sean slowly rose up to his feet, his eyes returning to their normal look and Ryan felt a sudden jolt of adrenaline. If she was going to get out of there and hide, she was going to do it with Melissa, Melissa wasn't going to get hurt, or killed, because of her lack of fight.

Staring at Sean, Melissa let her hands hang at her sides and Ryan gently took hold of one of them, tugging on it and jerking her body to the side but she didn't budge.

"Come on!" Ryan hissed at her colleague and gave another tug on Melissa's arm.

"I think I'm ready to talk now." Sean said, his voice an eerie calm, and Ryan's eyes widened at him.

Whatever was about to happen wasn't going to be good and Ryan knew that she was going to have to get her and Melissa out of their before both of them ended up as Sean's second and third courses.

Melissa flew backwards, colliding with Ryan and sending her flying towards the open door. Ryan stumbled but remained on her feet as she dashed for the door, her grip on Melissa's hand faltered and she let go, praying that she'd be right behind her.

Sean launched himself at the two of them though and brought Melissa to the floor, landing on her back. Ryan locked her leg and pushed herself back towards them, desperate to get the kid away from Melissa.

"No!" Melissa screeched and rolled onto her side. Sean grabbed her by the ankle with one hand and managed to get his other hand on her arm, holding her down. "No! Leave me alone!"

Ryan sucked in a breath and launched herself right at the blood covered teenager, forcing him backwards and sending him flying into the wall. Melissa scrambled to get to her feet but before they could gain any ground, Sean leapt at them again, forcing Melissa back to the floor.

She sent her foot out and knocked Sean's lower back but it was no use, he was clearly much stronger and Ryan merely backed away, pressing her back against the wall as she moved her head from side to side, looking for anything that she could use as a weapon.

Her entire body froze at the sound of a deep, guttural roar and Melissa's scream pulled her back to reality and the scene in front of her. Ryan stumbled to her feet and let out a warrior's cry but before she could make an attempt to save her co-worker, and friend, Scott came bounding at them, but not the usual, familiar version of Scott, no this one had pointed ears, massive sideburns and, were those fangs?

"What the hell?" Ryan screamed and Scott let out another deep roar, catching Sean's attention long enough for Melissa to back herself against the wall across the hall from Ryan.

She brought her legs up and watched as her son dove right for Sean, their bodies colliding, Sean flying backwards.

Ryan darted forward and dropped down to her knees next to Melissa, her arm resting around the back of the older nurse's shoulders. The two of them remained huddled together as Scott fought with Sean for a few seconds before he managed to send Scott soaring backwards. Melissa curled against the wall further and trembled as Sean took off in a run, leaving the hallway behind him as he moved.

Scott rushed to his feet and took a few steps towards his mom, Ryan taking the chance to study his abnormal face in more detail. There was something almost canine about his features and she found herself wondering if this was all a terrifying, horrific nightmare. When Melissa's fingernails bit into Ryan's arm, she realized that it wasn't at all a dream, this was real and there were two boys who weren't quite human in the hospital.

"I'm okay." Melissa'a breathing was ragged and Ryan merely clutched her tight, the two females making their way to their feet. "I'm all right."

"Are you sure?" Scott shot back, worry lacing his face.

"Go get that son of a bitch!" She retorted.

Ryan remained silent and still as Scott turned away from them. He remained in a crouch position and when he let out an animalistic growl, she winced at the sound and cowered away from the kid who she had known as a youngster. Scott took off down the hall in the same direction that Sean had disappeared and before she could open her mouth, Melissa hauled Ryan to her feet and gave her a once over.

"You good?" Melissa asked through baited breaths.

"Uh, alive." Ryan countered and grabbed Melissa's wrist with her hand. "What the hell happened?"

"I don't know." Melissa remarked and lifted her free arm up, taking in the sight of the blood covering her scrubs. "But I do know that we need to get the hell out of here."

"Where are we supposed to go?"

"The other way." Melissa shrugged and took off in a jog down the hallway, in the opposite direction that Sean and Scott had headed.

Ryan glanced behind her as she followed Melissa, wondering what the hell had happened back there? Sean had been eating the deputy, hadn't he? That part was real too, but what kind of person ate other people so freakily, what sort of person had bright, glowing eyes and rows upon rows of razor sharp teeth? And what about Scott? What had happened to Scott and why had he taken on a canine-like appearance in the time since she had seen him in the waiting area last?

"Scott?" Ryan shot out, wondering if Melissa was concerned about him going running after a cannibal.

"I'll explain later, we have to get to the sheriff, we have to warn him!"

Ryan fell silent but picked up her pace as she continued to run after Melissa. She had said they needed to warn the sheriff but what exactly was she going to warn him about?

As soon as they rounded the corner and found themselves heading for the front desk, Ryan slowed down and watched as Melissa closed in on the sheriff.

It wasn't until Jordan appeared in her line of sight that Ryan even moved an inch. When he closed the distance between him and her, she felt every one of her limbs growing heavy, the tears of fear blurring her vision.

"Ryan, it's okay." Jordan murmured and took her into his arms, letting her sob into his chest. He held her tight against him and ran his one hand over her back with the slightest movements. "You're okay now, I've got you."

He wasn't aware of what had gone down in the emergency department but whatever it was had been enough to scare the hell out of Ryan.

As he gripped her tight in his arms, he listened to her gross sobs and prayed that whatever had happened to her wouldn't cause her too much pain.

Unfortunately for Jordan, her fears were only getting worse with each passing night.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _For all you fans out there of my Peter/OC Story 'The Last of Us', check it out, it's been entered into a fanfiction contest: i_** ** _nkitt.c o m_** ** _(/)stories(/)27221 (just take out the spaces and brackets). Please take a look and vote!?_**

 ** _Thank you to all of those that added this to their alerts and favourites, not to mention those that reviewed! Without you guys, there would be no story!_**

 ** _Poor girl, can't catch a break can she? How do you think she'll fair having witnessed what she did?_**

 ** _Guest: Lydia certainly added a bit of a complication to their potential happily ever after, that's for sure! Stick with me and you'll see what happens!_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: She is a tough cookie but maybe she'll hit her breaking point sooner rather than later. She's certainly gone through a lot so far. Maybe answers for her are closer than she thinks_**

 ** _A: Ryan's tough, she knows that things aren't normal. Imagine how much more things would make sense if she ever finds out though! Thank you so much for the continued suport!_**

 ** _stephanie . ao13: Oh it's coming! Hopefully it'll be enjoyable for you! Thank you so much for the review!_**


	25. Chapter 25

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 25:_**

The idea of leaving a terrified Ryan on the main floor of the hospital hadn't sat well with Jordan but alas, he was on duty, he had a job to do and taking care of Ryan wasn't what he was getting paid for. She was rattled to the core and it had taken him a few, long minutes of reassurance before she reluctantly let go of him, making him promise that he'd be careful and that he would come back to her whenever he was able to.

Standing on the roof of the hospital, looking out over the newest crime scene, Jordan shook his head and silently wondered what the hell he was going to do in order to help Ryan through this.

On his way towards the stairwell that eventually brought him up onto the roof, he had stopped and peaked into the room where she had directed him, taking in the sight of the dead deputy lying motionless on the sterile tile floor. It was not a pretty sight, not in the least, the poor man's innards were on the floor, blood pooled all around him. The story that he had heard was that Melissa McCall and Ryan had walked into the room to find the teenager kneeling next to the body, _eating_ the man's insides.

There was no obvious evidence to suggest otherwise, not at first glance, which meant that Jordan had to take that tidbit of information at face value until other theories, more plausible explanations, came out. When he had stolen one last look at the deputy, Jordan had to remind himself that every time he, and the rest of his crew, put on their uniforms, they were taking a risk.

No one deserved to die but each and every person in law enforcement knew that it was a possibility and the deputy who had been attacked in Sean Walcott's room would be remembered with the utmost respect. Jordan had whispered a prayer for his fallen comrade before sucking in a deep breath and pushing forward.

The sheriff had been one of the first people on the scene but Jordan was quick to join him.

His eyes scanned the rooftop and he took in every detail that he possibly could. The pool of blood below Sean Walcott's unmoving body seemed to continue to grow with each passing second, the deep crimson reflecting the moonlight and giving off a sheen that would rival that of clean glass.

The spatters on the walls of the equipment housing gave Jordan the impression that whoever, or whatever, had attacked the boy had been out for vengeance. There was clearly a sort of passion in the murder, a passion that just served to set Jordan's nerves off.

It hadn't been very long after he had stepped onto the scene that the helicopters had shown up in the dark night sky above them. Whoever had murdered the Walcott boy was still out there, which meant they were still a very real, and dangerous, threat.

Jordan looked over to where the sheriff was standing and studied the older man in his sights. There was something about his boss that radiated confidence, which just served to remind Jordan that this was the man that he answered to, and for good reason. The sheriff was a seasoned veteran and a native to the town, if anyone had any idea about the goings on in Beacon Hills, it was the very man in front of him.

Before he had a chance to close in on the sheriff, the older man locked his eyes on him and let out a frustrated sigh.

"Hey," He called out to Jordan, "let's get everyone off the roof and see if you can stall the M.E. for five minutes. I've got an expert of my own coming to take a look."

"You have an expert on teenage cannibals?" Jordan shot back and cocked his head to the side. If the sheriff had someone who knew a little about whatever the hell Sean Walcott had done to deserve to die, well then Jordan wanted to know.

"Five minutes, Parrish." The sheriff retorted and Jordan fought off the urge to argue. There was a commanding look on the man's face that just screamed for Jordan to stay quiet and do what was asked.

Jordan began turning around and considered the best way to clear off the roof.

"Hey!" Jordan yelled, realizing that the best way to get everyone to follow was probably the most obvious.

Glancing around, he took in all of the other deputies who were looking to him for direction. Lifting his hand into the air, Jordan waved it around like an invisible lasso and then motioned for everyone to head back inside the hospital.

Perfect, if he was being sent away, even if it was just for five minutes, then he'd go and check on Ryan.

Leading the charge inside, Jordan waved off his fellow deputies and sent them scattering throughout the top floor before making a beeline for the elevator. Once he was inside, he pushed the button for the main floor and rode in the compartment all by himself.

The hospital, apart from the hustle and bustle on the main floor and roof, was almost eerily quiet; apparently the rest of the patients and staff understood the severity of what was going on and were clearly trying to stay out of sight, and ultimately out of danger.

At the sound of the elevator dinging, Jordan straightened up and waited for the doors to open, quickly stepping out onto the main floor, right around the corner from the emergency department. He turned to the right and took off down the hall, heading for the main desk, which is precisely where he had left Ryan.

At the sight of her pale face, he picked up his speed and closed in on her, moving swiftly around the desk and dropping down into a crouch next to her as she sat silently in the chair. There were unshed tears in her eyes and when he made a move to take her hands in his, he realized that she was shaking violently.

"Hey." Jordan murmured and took her hands in his, giving each one a reassuring squeeze. "Hey, you're okay."

Ryan remained silent and simply shook her head no. How could he honestly believe that she was okay, she was so far from okay that it wasn't even funny.

He tugged on her hands and brought her forward so that she was sitting on the edge of the chair. Ryan met his gaze and brought her bottom lip in between her teeth, blinking her eyes and releasing the tears.

He was quick to react and before she knew what he was doing, he had her wrapped up in his arms, her face against his shoulder as he half stood up and cradled her against his chest. He waited for the sobs but after a few seconds, and nothing to be heard, he loosened his grip on her and gingerly tilted her head back.

"I c-can't do this." She whispered and shook her head slightly, breaking away from his hold. "Here I am, afraid that you're going to end up hurt on the job and yet this is the second time that I've come face to face with a crazy, psychotic murderer!"

"But you're okay, you survived-"

"This time!" Ryan pulled away from him and crossed her arms over her chest. Jordan set his hand on her shoulder and met her eyes, her shiny, fear filled eyes.

"What do you want me to say?" Jordan questioned and watched out of the corner of his eye as she shrugged her shoulders, bringing his hand up. "Whatever keeps happening here at the hospital isn't normal."

"That just makes it all the more terrifying." She shot back. "I mean, there are protocols in place for a lot of the so called 'normal' things that happen, I'm pretty sure there's one in place for when criminals get loose here, but kids _eating_ people? Ninjas with huge swords? Jordan, what the hell am I supposed to do about _that_ sort of thing?"

"Quit." Jordan quipped and Ryan narrowed her eyes in on him. "Okay, well, do you have any vacation time you can take off?"

"I don't know." She shook her head. "Even if I did take some time off, that's not going to make me feel better when I eventually have to come back."

"I get that but maybe it'd help you relax a little bit, we could come up with precautions to help you feel less scared."

She pressed her lips together and let his words sink in. Could taking some time off really help her prepare for the future where who really knew what was going to happen? After what she had seen earlier, she was certain that aliens could easily show up, which would just be icing on the cake. On second thought, at least aliens were a tiny bit more familiar to her than cannibalistic teenagers.

"Will you take me home, I don't think I should be driving." Ryan requested, her tone barely louder than a whisper. Jordan stifled a laugh as he took another look at her trembling hands, she certainly had a point, she probably shouldn't be driving, at least not until she was calmed down, and who knew when that would happen.

"I have to stick around for a little longer but if you wait for me, I can definitely take you home."

"How much longer?" Ryan asked shyly.

"Not too sure. Uh, what if I called your dad to come get you instead? Then you can go home and I can come over whenever I'm done here, how's that sound?"

"Um, I guess that might be okay." She nodded her head and Jordan jammed his hand into his pocket, pulling his cell phone free. Ryan took hold of it and dialed in the number to her house, Ken had been on babysitting duty that night, before handing the device back to Jordan.

He took the phone back, hit the call button and pressed it against his ear as he stepped away from her, not too far but just far enough so that he could speak freely with Ryan's father without freaking her out even further.

Ryan dropped her gaze to her hands, which were resting on her knees, and she sucked in a nervous breath, hoping that her life would calm down soon enough. She had thought that being a single mom would be her primary concern but apparently, being the only parent to Kylie seemed like a cakewalk in comparison to the things she encountered at the hospital.

When Jordan turned back around to face her, she made a mental note that he was no longer talking on the phone, instead, the device was held firmly in his hand. She looked up at him and leaned forward, lifting herself up off the chair and taking a few steps towards him, walking right into his arms and cozying up against his chest.

"Thank you." She breathed the words out and tucked her head under his chin, her body relaxing as he rested his hands on her back. "I'm sorry that you have to keep dealing with me like this."

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Jordan pointed out and Ryan tightened her grip on him, fisting the material on the back of his jacket in her hands.

"It kind of is."

"Not really. I like you, a lot, and if we're going to continue to be in a relationship, don't you think that we should at least get a chance to see each other when we're not at our best?"

"Okay, so when do I get to see you 'not at your best', so far it's just you watching me fall apart."

"Trust me, it'll happen." Jordan couldn't help but smile and he felt her let out a small breath, the tension in her back muscles lessening with the action. "Your dad said he'd be here soon, so why don't you go wait in the lounge or something?"

"I think I'd like to just stay here." She replied and hesitantly peeled her body away from his. He smiled at her as she lowered herself down and sat on the chair, relaxing against the backrest. "At least here I can keep an eye out for my dad."

"Fair point."

Ryan grabbed his hand and gave it a rough squeeze, then she let go of him completely and crossed her arms over her chest, preparing herself to wait for her dad to come and get her, all the while the deputies and the sheriff worked their way through the hospital, looking for clues, evidence and potential witnesses. At least if she stayed in the open then she'd feel a little safer seeing as someone would hopefully catch sight of her if something, god forbid, happened to her.

"I'll see you later then, back at my place." Ryan murmured and Jordan leaned down, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

He took a step backwards, putting space between them, and met her eyes, "yeah, I'll be there as soon as I can."

She bowed her head and sucked in a breath, holding it as she listened to his footsteps moving away from her. When she brought her eyes back up, she looked down the hall, following him until she couldn't see him anymore. She waited for a good ten minutes and then she stood up.

Lifting her arms into the air, she felt her muscles stretching, even letting out a sigh as her limbs weighed heavily on her body, making her realize how utterly exhausted she really was.

"Excuse me?"

Ryan looked up and over the desk at the source of the voice that had dared to disturb her. Once she met the man's gaze though, she was quickly reminded that she had been sitting in the middle of the emergency department, in fact, she was sitting behind the desk, of course someone would bother her. It just so happened that the person that bothered her looked all too familiar.

"Derek?" She cocked her head to the side and studied the man's face, taking in every line, every detail that she could. The last time she had seen Derek Hale was the day that she and Kylie had decided to take Jordan some food to eat, except at the time, Derek hadn't been adult sized, no, he had looked exactly the same as he had when she was fifteen.

"Yes." He replied skeptically and narrowed his eyes in on her, a confused expression taking over his features. "Do I know you?"

"Uh, we went to high school together." Ryan explained. "Ryan Sloane, well, I guess that wasn't my name back then, so uh, Ryan Robertson."

"Ryan Robertson, right, Cole's girlfriend." Derek forced an awkward smile at her and Ryan suddenly felt like a complete idiot. Just because she had known about him back in high school, didn't mean he had paid much attention to her at all. "I take it by your change of last name that you two are married now."

"We were." She nodded her head yes and felt her heart swell at the mere thought of having to tell him that Cole was no longer with them anymore.

"Were? So you guys didn't last then? I always figured that he'd be with you for the rest of his life but I-"

"He was." She cut him off and Derek stared at her, completely perplexed by her statement. "He was with me for the rest of his life, uh, he passed away a few months ago."

"Oh." Derek's eyes widened at her explanation and now she noticed that he looked at her with a total look of sympathy. "I'm sorry to hear that. Cole was always a pretty decent guy."

"Yeah. Thanks." She gave him a quick nod of her head and let out a sigh before looking to the side. "Did you hear about the massacre at the sheriff's building?"

"I did- oh, you mean he was…there that night?"

Ryan nodded yet again, "he was one of the deputies killed that night."

"I'm _really_ sorry to hear that." Derek said softly and Ryan could only continue to nod. "That must've been awful."

"It was." She said back, her tone just as soft as his. "I'm sorry about what happened to your family all those years ago."

"Thanks."

An awkward silence hung between them and Ryan sucked in a breath, "right, well, uh, was there something I can help you with?"

Derek shook his head no and lifted his hand up, resting his palm against the top of the desk. Ryan held her breath and hoped that her dad would get here soon enough, all she really wanted to do was head home.

"Actually-"

"Mommy!"

Ryan's attention was ripped away from his and before she could brace herself, Kylie came bounding down the hall, heading right for Ryan. Ryan stepped out from behind the desk and scooped her little girl up, hugging her tight against her chest and burying her nose in Kylie's blonde hair.

"Hey Ry!" Her dad called out as he closed the distance between them and him. He took up a stance next to Derek and rested his elbows on the desk before taking in the sight of the young man. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

"Oh, no, it's fine." Derek shook his head. "We were just catching up, we went to high school together."

"Oh yeah?" Ken pushed himself away from the desk and sized Derek up, studying him in detail as he tried to place the face.

"Derek, Derek Hale." Derek stuck his hand out and Ken instantly took it into his own hand, shaking it firmly as it hit him. Yes, Ken was familiar with the Hale family and he had known all about the fire that had nearly wiped them all out.

"Right, last time I saw you around here was when you were about yay high." Ken pulled his hand free and motioned his hand in the air just above the edge of the desk. "You've grown a bit since then."

"Just a bit." Derek replied and forced what was clearly an uncomfortable smile onto his face, but then Derek turned his attention back to Ryan, catching sight of the curious expression on the little girl's face. "Who might this be?"

"Kylie!" Kylie squealed and followed it up with a giggle. "Who are _you_?"

"I'm an old friend of Ryan's." Derek answered.

"This is my daughter, Cole's daughter." Ryan quickly added and Derek's one eyebrow lifted up in understanding.

"We should uh, maybe catch up some time." Derek offered and Ryan sensed that it was more for show than anything. They weren't all that close in high school and he didn't seem _all_ that interested in being close now. Instead of calling him out on it though, Ryan nodded her head in agreement. "I should get going."

"See you around." Ryan lifted her hand up and threw him a wave as he moved away from the desk, breaking out into a walk as he headed towards the front doors.

Ken watched Ryan as she watched Derek and when he finally disappeared outside, Ryan brought her attention up to her father, who was fighting back a laugh.

"I thought he left Beacon Hills after the fire." Ken pointed out.

"So did I."

"What was he doing here?" Ken pressed and Ryan furrowed her eyebrows as she thought about his question.

What _had_ Derek Hale been doing in the hospital? As far as she knew, there weren't any people in the building that he should've known, and he hadn't seemed hurt, so that ruled out that he was seeking obvious medical attention. He hadn't actually gotten around to asking her for whatever it was that he needed so Ryan wasn't sure if he had actually wanted anything.

"Honestly dad, I'm not sure."

"Huh, well, let's get you home." Ken offered and Ryan let out a sigh of relief. Kylie relaxed her head against Ryan's shoulder and suddenly Ryan found herself feeling ten times better.

So long as she still had her family, then she'd be okay, she'd have to be okay. Kylie needed her and Ryan was quickly becoming aware that she needed Kylie just as much.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Cradling Kylie against her chest, Ryan wandered into the little girl's room and headed right for the bed. During the ride home, Kylie had managed to fall asleep in her car seat and when Ken had offered to carry her inside, Ryan had been quick to object and point out that she could handle it, even if she was _still_ shaking quite a bit.

The entire ordeal was still very fresh in her mind and Ryan had found herself questioning her own sanity on the way home. What the hell had really happened back in Sean Walcott's room, what had he done to the deputy before ripping out his innards and why had he been eating the fallen man's organs when her and Melissa had went in to check on him? What kind of person did that?

Her thoughts drifted back to the night that the sword wielding maniacs had attacked the hospital and she found one question at the front and centre: were there things that weren't exactly human lingering around Beacon Hills?

A few months ago, she wouldn't have given it a second thought but now things were becoming far too weird for her. Cannibalistic teenagers, ninjas who slaughtered everyone in sight, it all made her reconsider the night that Cole had died, bringing her concerns back from the recesses of her mind.

Had it really just been a human being that had caused that much carnage at the sheriff's station? Had one person managed to get into the building and then have the time and energy to kill multiple officers when the place had been full of trained law enforcement? The more she took into account the unusual things she had seen recently, the more she started to wonder if there was more to the massacre than she originally believed.

When Kylie let out a small snore, Ryan was immediately pulled back to the reality at hand. Whatever was going on in Beacon Hills, she needed to stay focused on her daughter, on protecting the little girl in her arms and making sure that no harm came to her family.

Stepping up next to the bed, Ryan bent down and gingerly set Kylie on the mattress, quickly pulling the sheets and covers up and tucking the girl in. Ryan reached out and nabbed the teddy bear that Jordan had given her and set it in front of her, knowing that if Kylie woke up in the middle of the night, the bear would be right in front of her, waiting to be hugged tight.

After placing a gentle kiss on Kylie's head, Ryan retreated from the room and stepped out into the hall, letting out a huge sigh.

What a night, no doubt it hadn't exactly been what she was expecting but overall, she had made it out of there alive, she had survived another bizarre attack. But how many more would she have to go through, how many more shifts at the hospital would result in her being traumatized and scared to go back to work?

Ryan shook her head and tried not to think about that for the time being. Instead, she headed for the stairs and descended them, making her way into the living room and taking a seat beside her own father, who was cradling a mug of tea in his hands.

She leaned against him as she sat down and he lifted his arm up, resting it around her shoulders and feeling her relax against him as she snuggled up against his side. Ryan let her eyes fall shut and she tried to stop herself from crying.

"I love you." Ken murmured and tightened his hold on his daughter. "You and Kylie mean the world to me and I know tonight must've been awful for you."

"It was." Ryan muttered in response.

"I've been thinking that maybe you should take a break from the hospital." Ken suggested, Ryan's body going rigid at his words. There was no way she'd be able to afford stepping away from the hospital, but his idea made sense. There was no way she could continue to go to work there either, especially not if it was going to cause her problems with her health, or interfere in her life.

"What else would I do though?" Ryan countered but kept her eyes shut, not wanting to meet his gaze for fear that she'd cave too easily. She needed to hear him out, he wouldn't have said that she should leave the hospital without some sort of alternative.

"Maybe you could put in your resume at a doctor's office, or transfer to a hospital in a different-"

"Dad." She broke in, her voice more a whine than anything. "I know that you have a point and it's a good point but usually I like it at the hospital, I like the emergency department, it's just lately, with everything that's happened, I don't know how to handle it."

"Okay well if you don't want to look for a new job, what about taking some time off?" Ken suggested and Ryan tipped her head back, her eyes opening and meeting his. "Maybe you can talk to them about taking a leave of some sort?"

Ryan gave him a shrug and sucked in a nervous breath. Maybe taking a leave was a plausible solution but would that be enough to help her face her fears?

"I'm scared that I'm going completely insane." Ryan confessed in a low tone. "Tonight I saw a kid _eating_ another person, dad, what the hell is happening here?"

"Beacon Hills was always a little weird." Ken replied nonchalantly. "I don't know kiddo, I just know that you have a little girl upstairs who has no idea what's really going on and she's worried about you too."

"Oh god." Ryan groaned. "She is?"

"Yeah she is. She knows that you're scared and that you're sad that Cole's gone, she's not as oblivious as you think she is."

"Oh."

"But I can tell you that she's the best thing in your life right now, she's the person that will keep you going."

"Yeah." Ryan sighed. "I should be able to protect her better, I should be able to keep it together around her-"

"You _will_ make mistakes when it comes to being her mom, trust me, nobody's perfect, but you're doing your best. She can definitely see that."

Ryan nodded her head in understanding and reached across, slipping her hand into her father's and letting him squeeze her fingers in an act of reassurance.

"Do you think Jordan's good for her?" Ryan asked in a soft tone, which was just barely louder than a whisper.

"I think he's good for _you_ and if he's good for you then by default, he's good for her too. I know I'm supposed to play the role of big bad dad and threaten him if he ever hurts you but I can see the way you look at him, and the way he looks at you. Jordan wouldn't let anything bad happen to you or Kylie, you have to know that."

"I really, really like him." Ryan whispered.

"I'm aware."

"I think maybe I love him." Ryan gently dropped her head down and rested it against his shoulder. "But that scares the hell out of me."

"Why?"

"Because…what do I do if the same thing happens to him that happened to Cole?"

"Well, I'm not going to tell you that nothing will happen to Jordan but I can tell you that no matter what happens, you'll get through it. You're a strong person Ry and you'll do whatever you have to do in order to keep Kylie safe. Have a little faith in yourself, things aren't always going to be as bleak as they are in your head." Ken explained, finishing off his statement with a small smile. She forced a smile back at him but he easily realized that it didn't reach her eyes. "You'll be fine, no matter what life throws your way."

Ryan opened her mouth to argue but when she did, she fell silent. There was nothing she could think of to say in response and maybe that was what her father was trying to do. She took his words to heart and really thought about them.

Ken leaned down and rested his chin on the top of her head, his hand still holding hers. If he could just get Ryan to see the world in a different way, then maybe he could show her that it wasn't always bad.

After the past year, she needed something good to happen and as the silence stretched out between them, he could only think of one thing that had the potential to show her that she'd be okay, yes Jordan Parrish could be Ryan's light in the dark, if only she could let herself accept him.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _For all you fans out there of my Peter/OC Story 'The Last of Us', check it out, it's been entered into a fanfiction contest: i_** ** _nkitt.c o m_** ** _(/)stories(/)27221 (just take out the spaces and brackets). Please take a look and vote!?_**

 ** _Thank you to all of those that added this to their alerts and favourites, not to mention those that reviewed! Without you guys, there would be no story!_**

 ** _And here we have Ryan and Derek reconnecting! And also, she thinks she might love him!?_**

 ** _Guest: Ryan and Jordan have some tough times ahead of them but they're both strong people. I hope you continue to enjoy and thank you so much for the review!_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Poor, poor Ryan :( Yes, it's a good thing Jordan's there with her, who knows what would've happened if he wasn't_**

 ** _A: Yay she saw things that will probably scar her for life lol but hey, it's a starting point, she can't really ignore it much anymore. Oooh yes, the chessboard, well I'll give you this much, it's not just going to get brushed under the rug. thank you so much for the review!_**


	26. Chapter 26

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 26:_**

The sight that Jordan had walked in on after spending a couple more hours at the hospital had made him smile. As soon as he had stepped into the house, he had been met by Ken, who was apparently on his way out, and the older man had directed him in the direction of the bedrooms. Jordan had been expecting Ryan to be in her bedroom, potentially painting some more, but when he stopped outside of Kylie's room to check on her, he had immediately noticed Ryan laying on the floor next to the little girl's bed.

There was a pillow under her head and a blanket spread out over her but it was the peaceful expression on her face that had his heart swelling. Yes, Ryan was actually sleeping, which was something he wasn't sure she'd ever be able to do again after having heard all about what she had seen during her shift at the hospital.

Even if she had taken a couple sleeping pills, that didn't concern Jordan, not in the least, just the fact that she was in sleeping on the floor next to Kylie's bed was enough to sate any worries that he had about her in the time that he had been at the hospital without her in his sights. Without thinking too much about what he was doing, he stepped into the bedroom and lowered himself down into a crouch position. His hand moved out towards her shoulder and when he ran his palm up her arm, she jerked under his touch and let out a groan.

Jordan leaned in closer to her and kissed the side of her head, watching as her entire body twitched before her eyes fluttered open. Ryan lifted her hand up, pushing his palm away, and let out a huge yawn.

"What time is it?" Ryan asked in a whisper and Jordan looked down at her with a smile.

"It's late, come on, let's go to bed?"

He offered her his hand and Ryan took hold of it, using him to pull herself up and off the floor, Jordan straightening his own body as she stood up. He slipped his arm around her waist and drank in the sight of her in the dim light from the hallway. She was wearing an oversized t-shirt and a pair of paint covered pajama shorts but she had never looked better to him, especially not with the lazy expression on her face.

"I was actually hoping that we could have a bath together, mind you I wasn't expecting you to be home this late." Ryan said, keeping her voice low so as not to wake Kylie.

Jordan continued to walk beside her and once they were in the hallway, he pulled Kylie's door shut behind them and glanced down at her, his eyes meeting hers.

"Well we can still do that, if you want." Jordan offered and Ryan sucked in a breath before closing the distance between them.

She buried her face in his chest and clung to him as though she'd lose him if she let go. He gently set his arms around her and hugged her tight, hoping that she'd realize how important she was to him with just his touch. When she let out a sigh and tipped her head back, he noticed the heartbroken expression on her face.

"I still want to." She murmured and let her hand run down his arm, intertwining her fingers with his. "I want you to stay here tonight, tomorrow night and every other night of my life."

Jordan cocked his head to the side and studied her expression, desperately trying to read the look in her eyes. Maybe her offer had everything to do with what had happened to her at the hospital, or maybe she truly wanted him to be a part of her and Kylie's life.

"Ryan I-"

"I really, really like you." She cut him off and took her bottom lip in between her teeth.

"Ryan-"

"I do okay, I really do and maybe part of me is saying it now because of everything that's happened to me over the past few weeks but there's another part of me that knows I'd be telling you that I like you a lot soon even without all this chaos. I want you around, all the time."

Jordan remained silent and lifted his one hand up, gently brushing her hair back away from her face. A smile broke out on his lips and he dropped his gaze to the floor.

"I'm pretty sure I really like you too." He said, his fingers trailing down the side of her face gently before he tipped her chin up, forcing her to look right at him. "And the thought of coming home to you every night makes me happy, especially if it means that I get to know that you're okay."

"Good." Ryan nodded. "That's good."

"You don't think this is all a little too soon?" He furrowed his eyebrows together and Ryan let out a sigh.

"Maybe, yeah, but the idea of not having you around terrifies me even more than all the weird stuff."

"Okay."

She stared at him, hoping that the next few minutes would play out very similar to the way they did in her head. She wanted Jordan to move in for a couple of reasons, the main one being that she really did love him, but the fact that he was a trained deputy helped a little bit too.

Talking with her dad earlier had made her realize that there were too many feelings that she was keeping inside, she needed Jordan to know that she loved him and that way if, god forbid, anything bad ever did happen to him, she'd have no regrets about the whole relationship. She wanted him in her life, she wanted him to come home to her and Kylie, she wanted to be in his arms every night that she possibly could because when she was laying in his hold, she felt safe, she felt like she belonged with him.

Jordan closed the distance between their faces and pressed his lips against hers, feeling her entire body relaxing at the pressure he put against her mouth. She leaned into him, melted into his arms and he held her tighter to keep her from sliding down but as he gripped her, she let out a moan and moved away from his kiss reluctantly.

He watched her, searching her eyes carefully, waiting for any hint of regret in what she had just said. Ryan's eyes flitted down to his lips and she surged forward, forcing him backwards but Jordan caught himself and his arms moved downwards, banding around her waist before hoisting her up and off the floor.

With her feet dangling now, he walked forward and tried to fight off the shivers that he was getting from her trail of kisses, which started on his lips, moved across his jaw and then ended at his neck. Her tongue ran across his skin quickly and he tensed, squeezing her hard, eliciting a whimper from her. Her ministrations stopped and his eyes widened as she brought her attention back to his face.

"You mentioned a bath." Jordan managed to get the words out through baited breaths and Ryan's lips turned upwards into a devious smile.

"Lead the way Deputy." She purred and that was all the instruction that he needed.

She let him carry her towards the bathroom, kicking the door shut once they crossed over the threshold. She winced at the sound of the door slamming and Jordan froze, waiting for any sound that would suggest they had woken up Kylie. After a few seconds of dead silence, and no hints of the little girl moving around outside the door, Ryan slid her hand around to the back of his head and gently pulled him forward, her lips meeting his in a searing kiss.

Without breaking the kiss, Ryan's hands moved away from him and worked on getting her shorts down, all the while Jordan's fingers fumbled with his belt, finally undoing it and forcing his pants down to the floor. Before he could start on any other piece of clothing, her hands were on the waistband of his underwear, pushing it down over his hips.

He took her actions on him and turned them around on her, moving his hands out towards her hips in search of her underwear. He ran his palms up and over her hips and she jerked towards him at the feel of his warm touch on her soft skin.

"You're not going to find anything there." Ryan cooed and let go of him, only to take hold of his wrists and force his hands up her sides.

"Ryan-"

"You have far too many clothes on." She growled hungrily and let go of his wrists, her fingers colliding with his chest as she started in on the buttons of his shirt.

Without warning though, Jordan pushed her t-shirt upwards and forced her to break the kiss just long enough so that he could pull her shirt off over her head. Her hair fell down against her shoulders, ghosting over her skin and causing her to shudder at the feeling, but she didn't have any time to recover before his hands were back on her skin, his fingers drumming along her sides as he explored her body.

She moved in and kissed him again, and when she couldn't take it anymore, she worked her way through the last few buttons and pushed his shirt back, giving her unobstructed access to do to him what he was doing to her.

She walked her fingers across his stomach and felt the hard planes under her touch. She flattened her palms against him and raked her nails across his pecks, causing him to gasp at the motion. He leaned back and searched her eyes, seeing a sparkle there that hadn't been present a few minutes ago.

Ryan groaned but peeled herself away from him, turning her attention to the bathtub and grabbing hold of the handles to the faucet. She twisted them and let the water run, even taking a few extra seconds to pour a bit of bubble bath into the water.

Jordan leaned over her and pressed his front against her back, her legs nearly buckling as his hands roamed over her hips and shifted downwards to grip at the insides of her thighs. She arched her back against him and twisted her head to the side, desperate to get a look at him, to meet his eyes and know that this was okay, that this was exactly what he wanted.

"I want you." She whispered and he smiled at her, lifting his leg up and stepping into the bath.

The pressure of him against her back eased up as he lifted his other leg up and slowly lowered himself down into the rising water. Ryan stood up straight and looked right at him, waiting for him to say something in response to her statement.

"The water's really nice." He teased and motioned for her to come join him. Ryan pressed her lips together but made quick work of climbing over the side of the tub.

She moved towards him and reached her hands out, setting them on his shoulders. Jordan made a move to close the distance between them but there was a different look in her eyes now, the expression on her face had turned from calm to that of sheer fear.

She turned away from him, giving her a perfect view of her tattooed wings, and Jordan found himself wondering if maybe she was having a more difficult time moving on with him than she seemed to be.

"Look I…I want you, so bad right now, please understand that, but maybe…maybe this bath was the wrong way to go about it though." She said in a low tone, clearly embarrassed to be pulling back now.

Jordan studied Cole's name on her shoulder and then slowly moved his attention to her trembling hands. He reached out and turned the tap off, ceasing the flow of water before resting his hand against her forearm. Ryan whipped her head around and looked directly at him, tears welling up in her eyes, and Jordan gently gripped her arm, tugging her down towards him.

She lowered her body into the water and sat beside him in the tub, resting her chin on his shoulder as his arm snaked around her waist, pulling her tight against him.

"If you're not comfortable-"

"No, I am, with you I am. I just, don't know what it is right now."

"Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you witnessed a teenager consuming a deputy's intestines tonight. Look Ryan, I just like being with you and if there's ever a time where you want to just sit and talk to me, I'm willing to do that." Jordan said softly. "You don't have to do anything if you don't want to but I'll always be right here, ready to listen if you ever want to talk."

She nodded her understanding and twisted so that she was facing him side on. His hand gave a gentle squeeze of her hip and she let out a frustrated sigh in response. What _had_ she been thinking? There was no way she was in the right mindset for seducing Jordan, yet she had tried and right when things had gotten close to heating up exponentially, her mind had immediately drifted back to Cole.

Cole, the man who had made love to her in the very tub they were sitting in so many times before. Cole, the husband who she had once promised her life to. Cole, the father to the little girl who was sleeping in the room just down the hall. Yes, it all came back to Cole, but what was really nagging at her mind now was the way that he had died.

Ryan's fingers gently bit into her flesh and she turned her head away from him, embarrassed to be thinking about her late husband when she was sitting in the tub naked, next to the man who was currently in her life.

"You're a million miles away right now." Jordan remarked and Ryan blinked her eyes, trying to keep herself from crying in front of him at that moment. "Ryan, what's going on in that beautiful mind of yours?"

"I was just…you're going to think I'm insane, which is fine I guess because I think I might be a little insane-"

"You're not insane." Jordan cut her off and smiled down at her. She glanced up at him and grimaced, clearly disagreeing with his claim.

"What if something more happened at the station that night?" She questioned and Jordan took a few seconds to recall exactly what she was talking about.

"The massacre you mean?"

"Well yeah." She nodded. "After tonight, seeing that kid and the deputy. Then there was the night those…those ninja thinks attacked, what if there was more to the massacre? What if there was someone, or _something_ more sinister than another human being who killed everyone?"

She gave him a few seconds to digest her theory and suddenly found herself wondering if he'd deny it. Would he tell her that she was silly to assume anything like that, or that she should just mind her own business?

What if Jordan proceeded to explain to her what the papers had said about the events of that night, or what if he simply told her that what happened was exactly what she was told happened, that Cole was taken down by a killer.

"I honestly don't know what to think." Jordan whispered and she found herself letting out a sigh of relief. Okay, so he hadn't just brushed off her concerns, he had, at the very least, told her that he didn't know. That was definitely better than him telling her that she was silly.

"It doesn't make sense to me." Ryan admitted and wrapped her arms around his, hugging her body tight against his side. "There were far too many trained deputies there that night, I mean, one human couldn't possibly take them all out, could they?"

Jordan shook his head, more to convey that he didn't know. She sighed again and pressed a kiss to his shoulder, which only brought his attention to her. His hand moved up away from her hip and settled against her side, his other arm joining his first as he turned to face her, drawing her in against his chest.

"You're not wrong to think that there's pieces missing but I wouldn't even know where to start." Jordan explained. "Ryan, whatever happened to Cole, I promise you that I'll see what I can find but you have to be prepared to accept that what you were told is all the information you'll ever get."

She sucked in a breath and pressed her lips together, her nose nuzzling against his skin. He shut his eyes and tried to force all of the nagging, lingering thoughts about the massacre to the back of his mind. She definitely had a point and he'd be interested to hear other people's sides of the story, if only there were more people left alive from that night that he could speak too.

"I know." She murmured. "What about tonight though?"

"What _about_ tonight?"

"Did you guys catch the Walcott kid?" She asked but refused to meet his gaze. "He's not going to come after me now, is he?"

"No, no he won't be hurting anyone anymore." Jordan shook his head but kept the most important tidbit of information to himself. Ryan would eventually find out that Sean Walcott had been killed on the roof of the hospital, there was no doubt about that, but for that moment, he'd leave her out of it.

She was having a hard enough time coping as it was, Jordan wasn't going to throw fuel on the fire.

"You promise?"

"I promise. Sean Walcott won't hurt anyone, ever again."

She seemed to relax at his statement, which was all Jordan really wanted. Tomorrow he'd face her and tell her the truth but for right now, he was just going to hold her and make sure that she was okay.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Jordan was awake long before Ryan was and without making a sound, he had gotten out of bed, headed into the bathroom and gotten himself dressed in the same uniform that he had worn the night before. He didn't bother waking her up, no, he was going to let her sleep for as long as he could and without hanging around too much longer, he headed out into the hall.

With a quick stop at Kylie's room, where he opened the door and made sure she was still sleeping too, he continued towards the stairs and descended them as quietly as he could. Jordan was on his way out the front door before either girl was out of bed, which was precisely the way he had wanted it to be that specific morning.

He stepped up to the cruiser parked in her driveway and unlocked the door, hopping in and jamming the key into the ignition. Looking at the clock, he realized he still had a little bit of time to kill before he was supposed to be at the station to go over the evidence the squad had collected from the hospital earlier in the night.

As he backed out of the driveway, he set a course for his apartment and drove in silence to the place where he spent very little time lately. The only reason he would ever need to go to his place would be to change his clothes or grab something that he needed, and that's when the reality of the night before had hit him: he had agreed to move in with Ryan.

Jordan couldn't help but smile at the thought of loading up all of his things and lugging them over to her house, where he'd gladly intertwine himself with their lives. Sure he was concerned about her acting out of fear of something happening to him, or Kylie, but was that really something he should be thinking about? Whatever her reasons for asking him, it didn't change his mind, he'd gladly mesh into their lives and look after the two of them, in fact, he was nearly giddy at the thought.

As soon as he pulled into the lot at the side of the building, Jordan turned the car off and freed the keys from the ignition. He put them in his pocket and climbed out of the car, heading for the front door to his apartment and stopping only when the bank of mailboxes crossed his line of sight.

He turned towards them, pulled his keys back out of his pocket and searched for the one that would open his mailbox. Once the little metal door was open, he nabbed his mail and tucked it under his arm, wondering how quickly Ryan was expecting him to take up residence in her house. Should he keep his apartment for a month or two in case living with her didn't entirely work out or should he just go for, back out of the building and leave it all behind?

He was confident that he'd be able to make it work living with her, for all intents and purposes, he already _did_ practically live there. He spent more time in her house than he did at his apartment, but was that the same thing as actually _living_ with her?

Could he spend every free moment at her house? Would she expect him to come home after each shift? Would she understand if he was ever asked to work overtime and not come home at all if time didn't permit it? Could he really put Ryan through his lifestyle?

She _had_ been a part of it before, with Cole, but what type of deputy had Cole Sloane been? Had he spent more time at the station than at home or had he been one of the one's who had been able to keep his personal and professional life somewhat separate? Had he kept Ryan in the loop about his cases or had he kept her in the dark?

There were far too many questions flooding his head over the whole 'moving in' situation now that he had a few minutes to really think about it. She was an amazing woman, a good person and she had made it clear that she really, really liked him, but would she ever be able to get over her fears that had been a result of Cole's death?

Would she ever be able to love him without thinking of, or comparing him to, Cole?

Jordan shook his head, focused on the task at hand, which was getting a fresh uniform, and headed for the elevator. He took it up to his floor and closed in on his apartment, unlocking the door and stepping inside before looking around.

There was nothing homey about the place and he knew that Ryan had always made him feel like part of the family when he was over there. Jordan had been subjected to Ken and Kylie on more than one occasion and that hadn't scared him off, not in the slightest bit. He seemed to fit with the Sloanes lifestyle and he hadn't objected when she initially offered for him to move in. Would he stick with his gut instinct, would he really be willing to give up his life from before Ryan in order to give the two of them a chance to become something more than two people who 'really, really liked' each other?

Jordan shut the door behind him and flipped on the light, illuminating his apartment. He didn't think he'd really miss this place, there was nothing special about the apartment, nothing appealing, and hey, even if him and Ryan didn't survive living together, he could find _somewhere_ to live right? It wasn't the end of the world if he had to bum a night on the sheriff's couch once or twice.

In his mind, the risk was totally worth it, Ryan was the type of woman he wanted in his life, he adored being with her, he loved spending nights at the house hanging out with her and Kylie, this was a good thing, it had to be.

The vibrating of his cell phone in his pocket pulled him out of his reverie and without wasting a single second, he pulled the device out and pressed the answer button.

"Parrish here!"

"Deputy, how soon can you be at the station?" the sheriff's familiar drawl sounded out in his ear.

"Ten, fifteen minutes."

"Good, we need your help, there's been some _interesting_ events that have come to light."

"Sir?" Jordan queried, confused as to what in the world the sheriff could possibly be talking about.

"Just get here, I'll explain everything in person but trust me, you will _not_ be disappointed."

Jordan heard the click signaling the end of the conversation before he could even get the chance to respond. Huh well, if he hadn't been too concerned about changing, he could've been at the station already but that wasn't the case. Ignoring the idea of putting on a clean uniform, Jordan set his mail on the small kitchen table, turned around and headed out of his apartment, locking the door on his way.

He had a job to do but his interest had been piqued. Whatever the sheriff had been talking about had him focused because all he wanted was to know what the hell was going on.

He couldn't get to the station soon enough.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Here's the deal, I'm sorry for not updating on the appropriate schedule over the last few weeks, no excuses, I've just been feeling kind of down and thus I neglected my story._**

 ** _I appreciate each and every review that I get but I'd really love to hear from more of you. Is there something about the story you don't like, something that turned you off? I love hearing what your favourite parts are, that way I know what to write more of._**

 ** _What did you think of the newest chapter?_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Derek and Kylie definitely need to spend some more time together, how cute would that be!? Thank you so much, as always!_**

 ** _A: It's coming, it's totally coming! She can't keep going on without finding out something, no matter how big or small. I'm so thankful for your consistent reviews and I love hearing from you, especially when you say things like the fact that you liked Derek's awkward small talk! Thank you so much!_**


	27. Chapter 27

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 27:_**

Jordan had made it to the station in ten minutes flat and once he had made his presence known to the sheriff, he had gotten all the answers that he needed.

Whoever had killed Sean Walcott had made an attempt to go after Derek Hale and his family, which is precisely the reason why the man in question was in the sheriff's office with the very sheriff himself. Jordan had been left to analyze the evidence that Derek had brought to the sheriff's station, which consisted of a tomahawk as well as a keyboard that was connected to a gauntlet-esque glove.

This was a huge lead on the case, especially since the deputies had no real clues from the hospital and, aside from the sheriff's impromptu private meeting with his "specialist', they had no idea where to even start. Sean Walcott was dead, he had been killed on the roof, and until this point, the deputies had nothing to go on.

To say the weapon and the keyboard were a huge relief would be an understatement, the items were so much more, they were objects that had the ability to make, or break, the case.

Shortly after getting possession of the tomahawk, Jordan had sat down at his desk and looked over it, trying to see if there was something on the weapon that would help them. Maybe some sort of DNA sample, a nick or a scratch in the metal that could lead them in the killer's direction, but so far Jordan was coming up empty.

He looked up and stole another glance at the sheriff and Derek Hale who were speaking in the man's office, the sheriff trying to get as much information out of Derek as he possibly could before Derek felt the need to leave them hanging without him there to talk things through. Without hesitating for a second, Jordan stood up and made his way towards the sheriff's office, pausing as the phone at his desk began to ring.

Whoever was calling him was going to have to wait, this was far more important, this conversation he wanted to have with the sheriff and Derek would be the most important chat he'd have all day, unless of course, they managed to catch the killer.

Pausing outside of the sheriff's closed door, Jordan tried to wait for a break in the conversation the two were currently having before interrupting. When he looked at the sheriff though, he knew that there would be no 'good time' to intervene, he'd just have to open the door quietly and hope that he wasn't walking in on a conversation not meant for him to hear.

Resting his palm on the doorknob, he turned it carefully and gently pushed the door open, his ears perking up at the mentioning of the murder weapon of choice.

"Who runs around with a tomahawk?" the sheriff was clearly asking a rhetorical question but Jordan had an answer for him and he wasn't entirely sure the sheriff was going to like it.

"I carried one for I.E.D. removal in Afghanistan. It's military." Jordan spoke up and wandered into the room. He looked down at the sheriff's hand and took note that he was hanging onto the keyboard gauntlet. Jordan made a motion towards the object with his hand and took a few steps forward, "and so is that."

Derek stole a look at the sheriff before turning his attention to Jordan, "do you know what it's used for?"

"Well, this one looks like it's been modified." Jordan countered, keeping his eyes on Derek.

Part of him was curious as to what the man had to offer the sheriff aside from the evidence and his statement but another part of him was almost thankful that there was someone who seemed to know _something_ about the person that killed Sean Walcott.

Jordan continued to look at Derek but felt himself feeling slightly off-kilter by the look that the sheriff and Derek shared, Derek even going as far as to nod at his boss. Before Jordan could say another word though, the sheriff broke away from them and wandered over, closing the door to ensure their next words to each other would remain confidential.

"Show us." The sheriff instructed, Jordan gave him a nod of agreement.

Jordan took in a breath of air and turned towards the door, which had just been closed. He pulled it open but the sheriff cleared his throat, catching Jordan's attention and causing him to turn back around to face him.

"Is there something you need?" Derek asked, his tone nearing a menacing tone, and Jordan knew that whatever was about to happen would have to remain in the office, even if all he was going to go do was get some supplies.

"I need a computer." Jordan answered and the sheriff walked up beside him, gently shutting the door and forcing Jordan to remain inside the room.

"I've got a laptop in the top drawer." The sheriff stated and Jordan nodded in understanding.

He wandered towards the sheriff's desk, sat in the chair and pulled open the top drawer, revealing a silver laptop. He lifted it out of the drawer and cautiously set it on the top of the desk, shutting the drawer in the process. Lifting the lid of the laptop, it seemed to spring to life and start up at the simple action of opening it, for that Jordan was thankful because he wasn't sure how long he'd have before he lost his train of thought, especially if there were two people looking over his shoulder.

Without further ado, he grabbed the keyboard and set it next to the computer before starting up the program that he needed. Taking a few minutes to type into the program and bring up what he was looking for, Jordan tried to keep himself calm and hoped that he could figure out something that would help them find the guy that this particular keyboard belonged to.

He continued to type and search for something useful and when he began running a scan on the keyboard, he watched as the IP address on the screen flickered through numbers, letters and symbols as it decoded. A few more seconds later and it stopped flickering, laying out a location from where the signal was being sent from

"Okay, I think I got an IP address." Jordan said to the two of them but he kept his eyes trained on the screen. He knew they were still standing behind him watching but if he didn't meet their eyes, then he could maintain his composure better. It was hard enough doing something while being watched, this was something all too important and he definitely didn't want to screw it up.

"That means we can find him, right?" The sheriff asked right back and moved closer to Jordan, his face right beside his as the two of them looked at the blackened screen with the white letters glaring back at them.

"Definitely. Especially if-" Before he could finish his train of thought, the gloved fingers attached to the keyboard jerked and a motorized squealing noise sounded out in the room. Both Jordan and the sheriff stared at the object but Derek was the first one to speak.

"What was that?"

The laptop beeped at them and Jordan brought his eyes back to the screen, "I think I found a message. Does anyone recognize the handle 'Benefactor'?"

Derek moved closer too and read the words as they popped up on the screen, "money transferred. What does that mean?"

The sheriff straightened up and stood tall beside them, Jordan and Derek still looking at the screen, hoping that something more would show up.

"That means this guy is not just a killer," The sheriff spoke, pulling Derek and Jordan's attention to him, "he's an assassin."

Jordan shook his head at the man's statement and wondered how much deeper all of this went. If there was an assassin out there who had murdered Sean Walcott, the kid who was caught eating one of their fellow deputies, what did that mean and why would someone be out there hunting down teenagers?

Or was there more to it than that, had Ryan been on to something the night before? There were way too many strange, bizarre occurrences in the town for it to be some sort of fluke, but there weren't _things_ out there, were there?

What the hell sort of creature ate human flesh and what about the mysterious ninjas who disappeared and reappeared in different places with a puff of dark smoke? No, something bigger had to be going on, but what the hell was it exactly and how were the deputies supposed to track down something that wasn't entirely human?

"You said you tracked the IP address, right?" Derek questioned and Jordan gave a nod of his head. "Can you give us a location, maybe there's something there, maybe someone's waiting?"

"The signal's coming from somewhere inside the school, I can't get an exact location but it's definitely somewhere in the high school." Jordan replied quickly. "But you can't just go there, you're not-"

"He's coming with me." The sheriff interjected and Jordan's gaze immediately fell on his superior. "You stay here and see if you can't get anything more from that _thing_."

The sheriff motioned towards the keyboard, almost as though he was expecting it to move again. Jordan nodded at the sheriff, signaling that he understood his instructions and even though he was still opposed to Derek Hale going anywhere that could be dangerous, he knew enough not to argue with the sheriff. What he said went and there was no way Jordan was going to waste his breath trying to talk him out of taking a civilian with him.

"Let's go." Derek offered and the sheriff gave a firm nod of his head.

The two of them disappeared out of the office quickly and Jordan found himself alone at the computer with the keyboard next to him on the desk. He shook his head and decided that before he hunkered down and got right to work, he was going to go to his desk and check the messages.

He still hadn't spoken to anyone and he did have a phone call before he headed in to the sheriff's office to start with, maybe someone was trying to reach him, maybe _Ryan_ was trying to reach him.

Jordan stood up and left the office, making sure to pull the door shut tight behind him as he left, then he headed for his own desk and flopped into the chair, looking at the little rectangular screen on his phone, which told him he had a message.

Lifting the phone up, he sandwiched it between his ear and shoulder, listening for a few seconds before pulling it away, hitting the voicemail button. He then punched in his password and hit the play button, putting the phone back against his ear, which was perked and ready for whatever the message was going to say.

When Ryan's voice sounded out in his ear, he felt his lips turning up into a smile and the image of her flooded his head. She sounded okay, she wasn't mad, or upset, or anything too obvious by her tone, in fact, she seemed rather put together.

It wasn't until he heard her mention that she was going to take a few days off from work that he could hear anything but normalcy to her voice. There was a flicker of sadness in her tone but before he had the chance to feel his heart go out to her, he heard Kylie shriek excitedly in the background causing Ryan to chuckle on the message.

She finished her message off with a request to call her and Jordan pushed the button to hang up. His fingers worked double time as they dialed her house number and Ryan picked up on the second ring, she let out a huff after saying hello.

"Did I call at a bad time?" Jordan teased and even let out a chuckle.

"Kylie literally just ran circles around me, good god, how she has that much energy, I have no idea but chasing down a toddler isn't really how I wanted to spend my day." Ryan countered and let out a sigh. "You didn't call at a bad time."

"Good."

"You could _never_ call at a bad time, I like hearing from you."

"Well, you're the one that called _me_." Jordan chuckled and Ryan snorted at him.

"I did, I was just going to ask you if were serious when you said you'd move in with us. I figured once you had some time to think about it-"

"I haven't changed my mind." Jordan cut her off. "I went to my place this morning and I'm not going to lie, I was thinking about it, but honestly, I want to spend more time with you and I pretty much live there as it is anyways."

"My sentiments exactly." Ryan laughed. "That's good to hear. When I wasn't running around my house after my little girl, I was pretty on edge about the whole thing."

"No worries, I'm still in."

"Right, thank god." Ryan let out a sigh of relief and Jordan's smile grew. "You going to be _home_ for dinner tonight?"

"Home, I like the sound of that." He paused and Ryan hummed her agreement. "I think so, if anything changes, I'll let you know."

"Perfect, any special requests?"

"No, whatever you feel like making is fine with me." Jordan stated. "I look forward to coming _home_."

"I can't wait, hey maybe we can try what we started last night again, I promise to not get distracted." Ryan said in a low tone and he knew that she was trying to play it coy.

"We'll see." Jordan snickered. "We might have to work on finishing up the bedroom."

"Oh yes, that." Her tone suggested that she was slightly disappointed by his statement. "Well either way, I still want you, _really_ badly."

"I'll definitely keep that in mind."

"Okay. Then I'll see you later."

"Yeah, bye Ry."

"Bye Jordan."

He waited for her to hang up and then followed suit. With a permanent smile etched on his face, he got out of his chair and moved right back into the sheriff's office, hoping that he could finish his shift without incident.

He had dinner, and a different form of dessert, to look forward to once he got _home_.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

"Mommy, where's Jordan? Can we have dinner without him?" Kylie's whining was starting to get to Ryan and if the poor woman hadn't already been worried about the man in question, then she would've told Kylie to be patient.

The truth was, Ryan was just as concerned about the missing Jordan Parrish as Kylie was, although for very different reasons. Kylie had been told that she couldn't eat dinner until Jordan got to the house and there was no doubt in Ryan's mind that the girl was hungry, especially seeing as it was over an hour past the time that she had been expecting him home. Ryan was concerned because he was a deputy, a man who spent every day with the potential for danger and since she hadn't heard from him since he had called her earlier, she was starting to panic the slightest little bit.

"I don't know Ky-pie but I'm sure he'll be here any minute now." Ryan offered the tot and stole a look at her. She was sitting in her booster seat, her fingers playing with the prongs on her fork while Ryan was standing at the counter, debating whether or not she should just feed the starving kid.

"I'm hungry _now_." Kylie whined again and Ryan shook her head, knowing that Kylie had a point. It was getting late in the evening and if Jordan wasn't home soon, the time between Kylie eating dinner and her going to bed would be very minimal.

Giving in, Ryan turned towards the food laid out on the counter and began fixing her baby girl a plate. She scooped out some of the mashed potatoes and plopped them onto the plate before ladling out some of the creamed corn to go on top. Ryan then made quick work of cutting up one of the fried chicken cutlets, putting half of the tiny pieces on Kylie's plate before wandering towards the table, setting the food in front of Kylie, whose eyes lit up at the sight.

"Here." Ryan slid the plate closer to the edge of the table and watched with a smile on her face as Kylie drove the fork into the mashed potatoes and corn.

"Mommy, you have to eat too!" Kylie squealed and then shoved the forkful of potatoes into her mouth. She chewed loudly as Ryan walked back over to the counter and proceeded to make herself a plate.

It was seconds before she was ready to sit down and eat that the front door opened, a feeling of relief flooded through Ryan and she waited next to the table for Jordan to join them in the kitchen. Seconds later, he stepped through the door, his uniform shirt unbuttoned and a white t-shirt tucked underneath. There was a tired look on his face and for a split second, Ryan felt bad about being mad at him for being late, but in the blink of an eye, she recalled the feelings she had when he hadn't called to let her know he'd be late.

The gripping fear that something bad had happened to him, the not knowing if there was something she could do, he had terrified her to the bone. What if she lost him, what if she hadn't gotten to say goodbye?

"Sorry." He said, breaking Ryan out of her reverie before tossing her an apologetic look.

"You're late." Kylie grumbled and used her free hand to grab a piece of chicken with her fingers. She lifted it up to her mouth but paused, clearly having more to say. " _Why_ are you late?"

"I had to…" Jordan paused and debated how much of why he was late he wanted to share. "I was at the school, the sheriff found a mine there and I had to diffuse it."

"What's a mine?" Kylie tilted her head to the side, took the piece of chicken into her mouth and then proceeded to slap her hand on the edge of the table.

"It's a type of bomb." Jordan answered honestly and stole a look at Ryan, trying to determine how much information Kylie needed to know. The look on her face was unreadable though and Jordan nearly winced at the dark look in her eyes.

He didn't figure she'd really approve of what he had done but it wasn't like he had much of a choice. If he hadn't gone to the school to diffuse the mine then who knew how many people would've been hurt, or worse, killed.

"A bomb?" Kylie's eyes went wide and Jordan gave her a nod. "Uh oh, that's really bad! Did anyone get blowed up?"

"Blown up Kylie." Ryan piped up in order to correct her daughter's mistake, her eyes never left Jordan though, which only served to make him more uneasy. "Well, did they?"

"No, no one was blown up, no one was hurt, I diffused it before anything could happen." Jordan answered and spotted Kylie staring at him. She clearly had more questions but apparently food took priority because without hesitating for another second, she went right back to loading herself up on mashed potatoes.

"Is that something you're going to be doing a lot?" Ryan asked in a low tone and took a few steps towards the table, setting her plate down next to Kylie's.

"Before you get upset, I _do_ know what I'm doing. I've handled bombs before." Jordan explained in an attempt to ease her worries. "When I was in Afghanistan-"

"Can we talk about this later?" Ryan cut him off and motioned towards Kylie with her thumb. Jordan gave her a firm nod and took a seat at the table, knowing that Ryan wanted to keep their bomb talk out of range of the little girl eating happily at the table. There was no need to scare Kylie, not yet at least.

Ryan quickly fixed him a plate of his own and set it down in front of him at the table before taking her own seat between him and Kylie, who was a third of the way through her food at this point. Jordan looked at Ryan and caught her eye, then he tossed her what he hoped was construed as a reassuring smile. He didn't want to worry Ryan, he hated the way she looked at him when he started talking about bombs, but what was he supposed to do? His job required him to do things that she wouldn't exactly be comfortable with and she'd have to understand that.

"I didn't have time to call you." Jordan stated, drawing Ryan's attention towards him. "I was going to but then things got pretty chaotic pretty fast."

She glanced down at his plate, which was clearly a silent signal for him to dig in, and Jordan picked up his fork. She definitely seemed a little agitated at the whole situation and it was clear to him as to why. The idea of him putting himself into a situation where he could've been hurt, or killed, weighed heavily on her shoulders. She hated losing people and he knew that she liked him, if something were to ever happen to him, she'd more than likely be completely devastated, and that was something that Jordan didn't want to have to put her through _again_.

"You're a superhero then Jordan?" Kylie's little voice broke the awkward silence and he found himself grateful that she could ease the tension so quickly.

"Um, well, what constitutes being a superhero?" Jordan asked her right back.

"What?" She stared at him, a confused expression on her face.

"Oh, right, constitutes…why do you think that I'm a superhero?" He rephrased the question upon realizing that she would have no idea what 'constitutes' meant.

"You saved people today, superheroes save people." Kylie answered and a smile grew on Jordan's face.

"Okay, well then I guess I am a superhero." He looked at Kylie, who grinned right back at him. Praise from a child felt all too nice to him, if only he could get Ryan to see it the same way.

"My mommy's a superhero too, did you now that?" Kylie beamed at Ryan, who seemed to shy away from both of their gazes. "She saves people!"

"I definitely _did_ know that." Jordan remarked and slipped his hand over towards Ryan under the table, resting his palm against her thigh. He gave her leg a gentle squeeze, bringing her attention towards him. "I'm sorry if I scared you."

"Okay." Ryan murmured in response but she moved her own hand down, setting it on top of his. "Just don't do it again."

"I'll try not to." Jordan leaned over and paused, giving Ryan a chance to turn towards him. When she did, he closed the distance between them and pressed a gentle kiss against her lips.

"Gross!" Kylie shrieked and hammered her little fist against the table. "Stop that!"

Ryan and Jordan couldn't help but laugh at the little girl as they parted, both of them turning their attention to the food on the plates in front of them.

Jordan stole a glance at Kylie in an attempt to gauge her reaction and as soon as she caught him looking, she stuck her tongue out at him. Without thinking, Jordan stuck his tongue right back at her, which sent the little girl into a fit of giggles.

If this was what coming _home_ would be like, the Jordan was determined to be there on time from here on out, nothing was better than this.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _I appreciate each and every review that I get but I'd really love to hear from more of you. Is there something about the story you don't like, something that turned you off? I love hearing what your favourite parts are, that way I know what to write more of, or what not to write more of._**

 ** _What did you think of the newest chapter? How are you feeling about Jordan moving in? Or him and Kylie getting along?_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: That's what comes next! Holy crap! Thank you so much for the review!_**

 ** _KaytieM: Thank you so much for the review and I'm glad you love the way it's playing out. Hopefully you'll see Ryan coming into her own soon. I hope you liked the latest installment and once again, thank you so much for the review!_**

 ** _A: Good feelings I hope lol. Your reviews are awesome! I appreciate every single one and I look forward to hearing what you think! It means a lot that you says things like 'I love how realistic...', that's just wonderful to hear and I'm glad that I've written a story that you, as well as others, enjoy! She'll maybe find out what really happened to Cole soon enough..._**


	28. Chapter 28

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 28:_**

Jordan had known all about the lacrosse game at the high school and part of him felt a little bad for prolonging the sheriff getting there but this was important, there was an urgency in telling him what he had found on his patrolling. There was no way that anyone without something important to say would be caught wandering along the coast in search of someone else, Jordan knew that Meredith Walker's presence would interest the sheriff.

Stepping up to his boss at the very same time that the older man was trying to leave his office, Jordan lifted a hand up to stop him, which was enough to catch the man's attention and stop him in his movements. He let his coat hang off his arm and looked at Jordan expecting him to speak, so Jordan went right ahead.

"Sheriff, I know you're in a hurry, but I was out on patrol and I found someone walking from the coast to the high school." Jordan stated and clearly he had piqued the sheriff's interest.

"That's got to be at least fifteen miles." The sheriff countered, concern lacing his tone. This is exactly what Jordan was expecting, the sheriff would definitely be intrigued and he certainly wasn't disappointed.

"She was pretty determined." Jordan replied and turned his entire body towards the corner of the room, where the one and only Meredith Walker stood, staring right back at them.

"I'm looking for Lydia." Meredith announced and met the sheriff's gaze.

Jordan turned his attention back to the sheriff and tilted his head to the side as if to say 'what did I tell you'. The whole situation was a little weird and if other things in Beacon Hills hadn't been _just_ as weird, then Jordan would've brushed it off, but his mind fell back to what Ryan had said to him not long ago: what if there was someone, or _something_ more sinister than another human being lurking in Beacon Hills?

What if there was something hidden in the shadows, waiting for the right time to strike? He didn't have to look very far to see prime examples of bizarre sightings, in fact, he had witnessed a few himself. Ryan definitely had a point and it absolutely terrified Jordan to think that maybe she was right, maybe there was something more sinister out there, waiting, stalking, hunting.

"I got this." The sheriff said, breaking into Jordan's thoughts and bringing him back down to earth. He nodded at his superior and turned around, locking his eye on his desk.

Now seemed like the prime opportunity to call and check in with Ryan, sure he had only been at the station for a few minutes but after walking into the house and finding her asleep on Kylie's floor the night before, he was constantly finding himself concerned about her, and there was no doubt in his mind that she was _always_ worried abou him.

Heading over to his desk, Jordan pulled his chair out and sat down, letting out a small sigh of relief in the process. He had done his part, he had gotten Meredith to the station and onto the sheriff's radar, now all he could do was wait until he received further instructions regarding her. In the meantime, he had things to do and people to call.

Wrapping his fingers around his phone, he lifted it up and pressed it against his ear, his other hand moving swiftly over the number pad and dialing Ryan's house number. Waiting as it started to ring, Jordan rapped his nails against the desk. Seconds later, the answering machine picked up and he immediately straightened up in his chair.

This was odd, really odd. He had left her _at_ home and she hadn't mentioned going out, so why wasn't she answering? Immediately his thoughts went to Kylie and fear struck him hard; had something happened to the little girl, had she hurt herself?

Jordan reached out and pressed down on the hang up button. He then dialed Ryan's cell phone number and waited for it to start ringing. Again, after a few seconds, it too jumped to her answering machine and this time he was prepared. He wanted to leave her a message to let her know how absolutely worried about the two of them he was.

"It's Jordan, call me back when you can and let me know if things are okay. I'm a little worried that something happened to you two so _please_ call me back."

He pressed down on the hang up button for a second time and swiftly removed the phone from his ear, setting it back down in the cradle. Lifting his elbows up, he rested them against the edge of the desk and ran his hands over his face, sucking in a breath and silently praying that Ryan _and_ Kylie were okay.

He squeezed his eyes shut and debated what he wanted his next move to be. He could head over to her house and check on her, but that seemed a little drastic, at least for the time being. He'd give her the chance to call him back, maybe there was a perfectly reasonable explanation, maybe she was giving Kylie a bath or maybe the two of them were watching a movie and she didn't hear the phone.

Or maybe something bad had happened to them, maybe Ryan had Kylie locked away in a closet somewhere fearing for their lives.

Jordan dropped his palms against the surface of his desk and shook his head. Without thinking about it anymore, he made a move to grab hold of his radio, fully preparing himself to see if there were any units nearby her place, then he'd kindly request for them to drive by.

Before he got the chance to push the 'talk' button down, the phone on his desk began ringing, the number on the small screen blaring at him. Yes, this was perfect, this was what he needed in order to calm down. Ryan was calling him at that very moment and without putting it off any longer, Jordan lifted the phone up and held it against his ear.

"Hello." Jordan said in a firm tone just in case there was a slight chance that it wasn't actually Ryan.

"You called." Ryan countered in a soft voice. "Sounded pretty rattled, what's up?"

"Nothing, you didn't answer though and I got a little worried." Jordan explained and hoped that he didn't sound too panicked. There was no need to scare her, especially if everything was okay and she was fine.

"Yeah, Kylie saw a spider in her room and I had to kill it before it moved." Ryan replied and followed it up with a chuckle. "She's one of those people that won't go in a room if she knows there's a spider in it."

"Oh okay, I get it." Jordan felt his lips turning upwards into a smile. "You're not one of those people then I take it?"

"Well, I used to be but I had to get over that fear pretty quick when I realized that a grown woman shouldn't be calling her dad in the middle of the night just to come over and kill a spider." Ryan teased and Jordan felt himself picturing exactly what she had described. "Cole used to take care of all the bug issues in the house."

"Any other fears you had to get over once, you know…he was gone?" Jordan questioned and stiffened slightly at the sound of her sighing on the other end.

"Yeah. I used to freak out so bad when there was a noise at night, I'd kick him out of bed to check it out, even if it was most likely the pipes. Now I just ignore it, unless it's something totally out of the ordinary."

"Makes sense. Must be nice having a deputy back in your life now then, huh?"

"Sometimes." She breathed the word out and he pictured her relaxing against the couch. "Other times, like when I can't get a hold of said deputy, I have a mini panic attack and immediately think the worst."

"I'm sorry." He murmured.

"It's not your fault." She countered.

A blanket of silence fell over them and Jordan tried to figure out what to say to her next. She was clearly having just as difficult of a time coming up with her own words, but he knew that it wasn't easy for her. It wasn't like she had ever kept her feelings about him being a deputy a secret, he understood where her fear came from and if he had been in her position, he knew that he'd react the same way.

"Just imagine how much worse it could be if I was still in the military." Jordan tried to joke with her but his voice came out flat and serious. He heard her suck in a breath on the other end of the line and immediately realized that she wouldn't find his joke funny at all. "That was stupid, I shouldn't have said that."

"It's fine," she sighed, "you're only trying to make me feel better. If it's any consolation, I'm glad that you're not in the military anymore, I think I'd be terrified every time the phone rang."

"Yeah." He nodded his head and looked down at his desk. "That'll never happen though, I'm not doing that again."

"That's good to know." She said in a soft tone. "That'd be hard to explain to Kylie."

"I'm not going to leave you two, you know that, don't you?"

Ryan remained silent for a couple of seconds and Jordan waited patiently for her answer. He knew that he was going to do everything in his power to be around for the long haul but it was hard for Ryan to accept them. She had already lost too many people in her life and she knew how quickly everything could change. Just because he made a promise not to let anything happen to him, didn't mean he could stop anything if fate was against him.

"I think so." She whispered and he could tell that she wasn't exactly confident in her reply.

"I know how hard it is for you to let me in, I want you to know that I appreciate it, I appreciate everything that you've given me."

"Uh, sure." She replied hesitantly and Jordan couldn't help but chuckle.

"I mean it. I'm going to get back to work but I promise I will call you if anything comes up here."

"Okay."

"See you later Ry."

Ryan hung up on her end without another word, which was perfectly fine with him. He settled into his chair, relaxing against the back of it before looking around the station, taking note that Meredith had been tucked away inside the sheriff's office. He let out a sigh of content and thought about how much he truly enjoyed his life with Ryan.

It wasn't until Jordan's eyes had caught sight of the sheriff leading Lydia Martin and the girl that Jordan recognized as the sheriff's son's girlfriend Malia through the station that he was pulled out of his thoughts. His eyes remained on them until he could no longer see them and then he stood up, pushing his chair away from his desk and making a move towards them, falling in stride behind them, ready to speak out against the man's actions.

After his discovery of the game locker in the Walcotts house with Lydia, something about her hadn't sat right and if this particular meeting gave him an opportunity to learn more about her, then that's exactly what he was going to do. He kept his focus on them and listened in, watching carefully as the sheriff ushered them into his office in the hopes that he would be able to keep the whole situation low key.

"I'm aware this is probably about the dead pool, but I can't let her leave the station and, in a minute, I'm going to have to call Eichen House and let them know that she's here." Jordan heard his boss say and he fought back the urge to roll his eyes. The man should've called Eichen House as soon as he laid his eyes on her, hell if he had been asked to do it himself, Jordan would've been more than willing.

"Give us an hour." Lydia countered from their position just outside the office. Jordan locked his eyes on her and wondered where the authority she had came from.

"You got fifteen minutes." The sheriff retorted, apparently he wasn't going to let her make demands, well that was just fine with Jordan.

Lydia and Malia stepped into the room, disappearing from Jordan's sight but that wasn't going to stop him, he was determined, just as determined as Meredith had been to get to Lydia, so instead of backing down, he stepped right up behind the sheriff and didn't even bother waiting to get his attention.

"You called Lydia?" Jordan inquired.

"Yeah." The sheriff replied hesitantly.

"Because Meredith asked for her or because of the other thing?"

"What other thing?" The sheriff shot back and Jordan hesitated before taking a look around the station in order to make sure there were no prying ears.

"The psychic thing."

"You think Lydia's psychic?" The sheriff added quickly.

"Do you?"

"No, I do not." The sheriff replied defensively. "I think that she is, uh...intuitive."

"That's what they used to call psychics, intuitionists."

"Yeah, and I used to call myself a rational human being. Get in here and shut the door."

The sheriff waved him into the room with the three girls, before he shut the door, securing them all inside. There was no way that anyone outside would be able to overhear or see what was going on, which was just fine with Jordan. The whole situation seemed a little out of the ordinary and there was no doubt in his mind that whatever was happening wasn't following any sort of protocol.

Turning his attention to the girls, the sheriff gave them a wave, "ask what you need to ask."

Jordan crossed the room and leaned against the front of the desk. His eyes scanned over the occupants of the room, wondering what he had just gotten himself into. If there was something special regarding Lydia then he wanted to know what it was, he wanted to know what he was dealing with.

Lydia quickly extended her cell phone to the girl sitting on the bench. Jordan's eyes immediately fell on Meredith, taking in the details of her. Her hair was wiry and sticking up all over the place, her eyes wide giving her a permanently shocked look on her face.

Meredith looked up at Lydia and hesitantly took the phone out of her extended hand, pulling it away from Lydia and cradling it in her palm.

"Meredith, aren't you going to answer it?" Lydia asked, her voice soft and soothing but Jordan could easily see that she was far from calm. He took her words into consideration and cocked his head to the side, wondering why the girl had asked if she was going to answer it when it wasn't even ringing, unless it was on silent, but what sort of teenager put their phone on silent anymore? What the hell was going on and what did Lydia have to do with anything?

Meredith slowly rose to her full height and moved in closer to Lydia, situating herself so that her lips were right by Lydia's ear.

"It's not ringing." Meredith whispered in response.

Meredith cautiously dropped back down to sit on the bench and Lydia just stared forward, trying to keep her calm. Lydia dropped down to squat in front of Meredith and Jordan stole a quick look around the room, wondering what was going through everyone else's heads and if they understood what was going on. The sheriff looked like he was as confused as they came, Malia looked almost bored and Lydia looked like she was growing more and more frustrated by the second.

"Meredith, you came here to help us, remember?" Lydia said lowly, desperate to remain calm.

"You called me." Meredith countered.

"What do you mean I called you?" Lydia demanded.

"I heard you." Meredith nodded.

"Meredith, can I ask you a question?" Jordan moved towards the two girls, Meredith nodded her head yes, like any sane woman would in his presence, and he dropped to one knee in front of her. "When you need help, when you need to find something, is there someone you reach out to? Maybe someone you call?"

"It depends, different people for different things."

"So maybe there's a number that can help us? Someone we can call." Jordan pressed and hoped that he was helping them. He really had no idea what was going on, or why Meredith had been looking for Lydia, all he knew was that he was going to try to keep everyone in the room as relaxed as he could.

"Yes." Meredith gave in and looked right at him

"Would you be okay telling us?"

"Yes." Meredith paused and Lydia brought her phone away from Meredith's loose grip. "It's two, four, three, six."

"Mer, we need a few more numbers." Malia broke in.

"No. That's the number." Meredith stayed firm. The more time she spent in the same room as this girl, the more that Jordan noticed she lost her composure.

"Phone numbers are ten digits." Malia pointed out.

"That's the number." Meredith stated.

"Meredith, phone numbers always have ten digits." Lydia broke in, shaking her hands at the awkward girl sitting on the bench in front of her.

"That's the number." Meredith repeated her answer.

"Meredith-" Lydia brought her hand up and pressed her fingers together. The sheriff stepped up and gently set his hands on Lydia's shoulders while Jordan backed away to give him more room.

"Lydia." The sheriff guided Lydia to her feet and ushered her away from Meredith slightly. "Hey. Come here. I think that's the best we're going to get."

"No. No. There has to be more." Lydia was nearly pleading with Meredith, which only served to make Jordan more curious as to what in the hell was going on. "What's the rest of it, Meredith? Huh? Just concentrate!"

"But that's... that's... that's the number." Meredith countered.

"Concentrate!" Lydia shrieked.

"That's...that's the number. That's the number."

"It's okay, sweetheart. We're..." The sheriff closed in on Meredith and gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder. Jordan watched Lydia as she reluctantly stalked away from Meredith.

"That's the number!" Meredith shouted.

The sheriff quickly but gently ushered Meredith out of his office leaving Jordan to hang back inside for all of two seconds before he moved forward and joined his superior. His eyes locked on Meredith as the sheriff gently sat her down on one of the chairs in the lobby before dropping down next to her.

Ignoring them for the time being, he headed back to his desk and dropped down onto the seat. Whatever had just happened inside the sheriff's office wasn't something that he'd constitute as normal. Without following any sort of protocol, the sheriff had let the two females just speak with Meredith, all the while Eichen House was missing one of their residents.

He kept his eyes trained on the girls inside the office and watched them for a few minutes, studying them as they seemed to work on something, probably breaking whatever code of numbers that Meredith had given them before Lydia had pushed her to the brink.

The sound of the sheriff's footsteps broke Jordan out of his trance and he watched the older man lead Meredith towards the front of the station and into the area where the lobby was. It didn't take too much for him to figure out that at this point Eichen House had been notified of the girl's disappearance.

He gave the girls a few more minutes until Malia opened the door and stepped out of the office. His eyes lingered on her and when she tucked herself into the nearest corner and produced her cell phone, he seized his opportunity. He wasn't going to let them sit in the sheriff's office all night, but he wasn't going to blatantly kick them out.

Standing up and tucking his chair under his desk, Jordan headed for the sheriff's office, bypassing Malia who was standing outside the room talking on the phone, and opened the door. As soon as the door was open, Lydia slammed the lid of the laptop shut and squeezed her eyes closed. Clearly he had managed to startle her.

"Sorry, I was just seeing if you guys were okay." He announced and Lydia opened her eyes back up, looking towards him. "You guys need a ride home?"

"Uh, no. We'll be fine." Lydia answered but it was clear by her tone that she wasn't going to stick around for too much longer.

He bowed his head, gave a nod and headed back out into the main part of the station, pulling the door shut behind him. What a weird night it had been so far: first he had found Meredith wandering the coast in search of Lydia Martin, then he had brought her in only to have the sheriff call Lydia so that the two could converse, now he was making sure that the two teenagers were okay and that they weren't stranded at the sheriff's station.

Even with all of the chaos, a smile formed on his face and he couldn't help but wonder what Ryan had been like as a teenager. Had she been like Malia, a little brash but overall a nice girl? Or had she been more like Lydia, dangerously smart and hardly fearful of anything? She was still very much a mystery to Jordan in some aspects but he was determined to figure her out, he wanted to know everything there was to know about her and if things continued to go the same way they were currently, he'd be able to do just that.

He wanted to be around for the long haul, he wanted to be a part of Kylie's childhood and he wanted to see the little girl grow up. What kind of teenager would _she_ be? Would she be like Lydia, who seemed to find herself in unusual situations at every turn or would she be a wild child who fought with her mother day after day? Maybe she'd grow up to be a good kid, a kid who wouldn't find herself in trouble, but even if she did, would Jordan not do whatever he could to protect her?

Then there were all sorts of questions that he'd want to know the answers too in the near future but he knew that it was too early to discuss them with Ryan. Questions like 'would Kylie ever feel comfortable calling him daddy', 'would Ryan be okay with that happening too' or 'would they ever have a child of their very own'?

Jordan wasn't in any rush to become a father, he was still young and busy enough working as deputy that he was never bored, plus as much as he liked being with Ryan, their relationship was still fairly new. He _had_ asked her if she'd ever consider having more kids but she hadn't really been clear with her answer. If she was against it, would that be a deal breaker for him or would he stick with her and focus his attention on Kylie? Would they be able to hang in there and last for the duration of their futures?

There were too many unknowns surrounding him and Ryan, and ultimately his future with Kylie, but he knew that he was excited to be part of whatever was to come, the highs and lows, the good times and bad, he knew that he couldn't control what was next but he'd definitely take things one step at a time.

For now, that was all he could do.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Let me know what you guys thought?_**


	29. Chapter 29

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 29:_**

Before he really had a chance to relax at his desk, his phone had begun to ring and he knew at that second that whatever was about to happen, wasn't going to be good. When he had been requested to head over to the high school, he hadn't initially been too sure about what to expect, especially since the term 'attempted murder' had been tossed around in the conversation, but once he had arrived at Beacon Hills High, he certainly hadn't been expecting to see a female teenager in hand cuffs. Apparently she had made a desperate attempt to end Scott McCall's life, as well as Brett Talbot's, who was on the visiting lacrosse team.

Jordan had the girl by the upper arm, pushing her along next to him as he led her out of the locker room shortly after his arrival. Whatever this girl had tried to do in order to end McCall and Talbot's lives had been serious, deeply so, because in all of his time as a deputy, there wasn't a time that he could recall taking in a teenager. He glanced down at her but quickly moved his attention to the hallway in front of him, his priority was getting her out of the school and into a holding cell where she wouldn't be able to hurt anyone again.

"Jordan Parrish?" the girl in his grasp said out loud and Jordan narrowed his eyes in on her.

"Deputy Parrish." Jordan corrected, there was no need for the girl in his grasp to call him anything other than Deputy.

As the sheriff trailed along behind him, he continued to lead her towards the exit. All he had to do was get her into the back of the cruiser and take her away to the station where she'd end up in a cell for the night. Interrogating her would be the next thing on the list but Jordan wasn't going to be involved in that, no, that was going to be left to the sheriff and Agent McCall.

As Jordan rounded the corner in the hallway, he heard the sheriff's steps fade away and knew that the man had stopped. Without hesitating for a second, Jordan pushed Violet forward and didn't give her the satisfaction of saying another word. She was in some serious trouble and he wasn't going to go soft on her, especially not after her 'attempted murder' charges had been read out.

"Parrish, hold up!" Agent McCall called out to him and Jordan slowed his steps down, bringing himself to a stop. He glanced back and met the FBI Agent's eyes.

"What can I do for you?" Jordan offered as politely as he could but his patience was wearing thin. There was a teenage girl in his possession who had tried to kill not one, but two high schoolers, and she needed to be attended to.

"Actually, I need to speak with Violet here." Agent McCall motioned towards the girl in handcuffs and she brought her eyes up to meet his. "Thermo-cut wire's a very unusual weapon, Violet. Now, we've got a file at the bureau on something similar, used in over a dozen murders."

"I don't know what you're talking about, I just go to school here." Violet shot back defensively and Jordan's grip on her tightened, sensing that the girl was more dangerous than anyone knew.

"Maybe we should call your parents then?" Agent McCall smirked at her and Jordan cocked his head to the side, wondering where the man was going with this. "Oh, no that's right, you don't have any parents. That's why they call you The Orphans."

Violet simply glared daggers at the agent and without hesitating for another second, Jordan turned her away from him and led her away. He left the sheriff standing with Agent McCall and continued on his way, meeting up with another deputy as he headed for the exit.

Together, alongside his fellow deputy, they managed to load her into the back of one of the cruiser's before Jordan slammed the back door shut and sent his colleague on his way. He just had to run into the school and see if there was anything the sheriff needed before he, too, joined his fellow deputy at the station where the girl was going to be taken in and booked for the night.

As soon as the cruiser pulled away, Jordan took off in a jog for the school and headed down the halls he had just walked in search of his boss. Once his eyes locked on the man he was looking for, he picked up speed and headed right for him, coming to a stop a few feet away and giving the sheriff the opportunity to finished speaking with Agent McCall.

"Parrish!" Agent McCall broke out and waved him forward, Jordan moving the last few feet to close the distance between them.

"Sir?"

"We've got a list of names for you to run." The sheriff added in and produced a handwritten list of names from his pocket. Jordan took the piece of paper once it was offered to him and he began reading through the names scrawled in the sheriff's barely legible chicken scratch: Kate Argent, Joanne McLaughlin, Steve Grace, Reed Schall and a few more in between.

"What am I running them for?"

"Anything that seems unusual." Agent McCall answered and the sheriff lifted his hand up, signaling for Jordan to wait a second before taking off.

"I want locations and last known addresses if you can find them too."

"Understood." Jordan gave them a firm nod of his head but waited a few more seconds in case there were further instructions. When neither man said another word, he turned his back to them and made his way out of the school, hoping that he'd get a chance to take a few breaths and call Ryan in the next half hour.

Surely she'd be starting to worry soon but he knew that he had a little bit of time before she'd be completely freaking out. It wasn't like she was expecting him home right away.

As he headed back to the outside of the school where his cruiser was parked, Jordan tucked the piece of paper into his pocket and grabbed his cell phone as he lifted his hand out. He dialed her house number and held the device up to his ear as he closed in on his cruiser, hoping that the task the sheriff had given him wouldn't take too long at all.

She answered the phone at the very same time that he got to his vehicle and without even skipping a beat, he unlocked the doors and pulled the driver's side open, pausing just outside and remaining in the parking lot.

"Uh oh, you're calling to tell me that you're going to be getting home late tonight, aren't you?" Her voice was soft and smooth in his ear and Jordan felt his heart swelling at the mere sound of her. He liked going home to her and he hoped that this time he'd be able to get to the house without her being mad at him, like she had been when he had come home after diffusing the bomb.

"Maybe, it all depends." Jordan countered and lowered himself into the driver's seat, pulling the door shut with a thud as he relaxed against the backrest and let himself calm down from the excitement that had gone on inside the school. "I've got some work to do once I get back to the station so hopefully that won't take too long, then I'll be home."

"What do you mean 'when you get back to the station'? Where are you?" She immediately sounded nervous at his statement and Jordan considered the best way to answer in order to not freak her out any more than she already was.

He could tell her what happened at the school but then she'd want to know more as well as if everyone was okay. He could tell her very little about what happened but then she'd just fret and worry about him until he got back to the house and he wasn't entirely sure he could do that to her either.

"Well there was an attempted murder here at the high school." Jordan told her and hoped that it was specific enough to warrant her staying composed but not specific enough to give her more than she needed to know.

"Um, what?"

"We got the person responsible." Jordan reassured her and he swore that he heard her let out a relieved sigh on the other end. "I just have to run some names and see if I can't get any viable information when I get back, then I'll be home."

"Okay and when you get here, you can explain to me why there was an attempted murder at the high school." She grumbled back in response.

He knew that any time he was even remotely put in a dangerous situation that she'd worry about him and maybe one day she'd be able to accept and understand that he wasn't new to the job. He could handle himself and if he had anything to say about it, he wasn't going to let anything happen to him, she'd have to trust that he knew what he was doing well enough to not get himself hurt. It had been working out okay for him thus far in his career.

"Here's a better idea, maybe you should try going to bed, or taking a relaxing bath, and when I get there, we can curl up together and pretend that all is well in the world?"

She groaned at his suggestion but followed it up with a slight huff, "you win this round _deputy_ , I'll try to think happy thoughts until you get here."

"Happy, naked thoughts?" Jordan teased and looked up, through the windshield, where his eyes landed on the remaining cruisers in the parking lot.

"I'll make you a deal, if I do end up going to bed before you get home, I'll be sure to not wear too much, you officially have my permission to wake me up."

"What if you're not in bed before I get home?"

"Then I'll most likely be in the bath, which means I'll already be naked, if that's not the case either, something could easily come up with Kylie…"

"Fair enough." Jordan pointed out and grinned at the thought of what could quite possibly be waiting for him when he got back home. "I'll pray that she doesn't give you any trouble."

"If it makes you feel any better, she's already in bed, but I mean, she's been known to wake up from nightmares here and there." Ryan remarked, her tone much lighter than it had been when she had first picked up. "We should stop talking now so that you can get your research done sooner."

"Good point."

"Then I'll see you when you get here."

"Yes and you better be close to naked whenever that happens to be."

Ryan giggled at him in response, "Just hurry up _deputy_."

"Bye Ry." He laughed and waited for her to hang up before he tucked his phone away. With a permanent smile etched on his face, he started up the cruiser and strapped his seatbelt across him, then he pulled out of the parking lot and headed for the station.

There was way too much riding on the line for him to waste another second.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

It wasn't _too_ late by the time he walked inside the front door of the house, but that didn't mean that Ryan would still be awake. It didn't take much more than a look around from the front door to tell that she wasn't sleeping though. There were far too many lights on upstairs and he knew that they weren't just for his sake.

If she had been concerned about him, she might've left on the light in the front hall but that wasn't the case at all. The light above the stairs was on, the light in the upstairs hall was on _and_ the light in the bedroom was on, which meant that she was still up, unless she had somehow managed to fall asleep with the lights on, but that thought was quickly dismissed when he heard movement coming from up the stairs.

Jordan smiled to himself and freed his feet of his shoes, he then peeled his jacket off and set it on the floor over his footwear. Turning back to face the front door, he checked to make sure it was locked, then he switched off the lights that he could get to, the darkness surrounding him as the main floor lost its lights. Moving towards the stairs, which were still lit up, he mounted them quickly and walked down the hall.

As usual, he paused outside of Kylie's door, gently pushed it open, took a look at her to make sure she was sleeping soundly and then shut the door once again. Satisfied that she was okay, he closed in on the bedroom and fought off the urge to laugh at the sight inside.

Ryan was definitely awake, in fact, she was dancing around the room, humming along to some tune in her heard, as she dragged the paintbrush over the walls in the spots that needed touching up. The bedroom walls were so close to being completely painted, which meant that the next step after that would be putting the accent colours on the trim, and it was obvious that Ryan had been working like a madwoman since he had seen her last.

He didn't say a word though, instead, he choked off his laughter, crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the doorframe, drinking in the sight of her.

"I heard you laughing." She paused in her humming long enough to get the words out, then she went right back to her song.

"It's nice seeing you this cheery." Jordan teased but didn't move from his spot against the doorframe.

"It happens sometimes." She shrugged and stole a look at him over her shoulder. She paused in her painting and pranced over to the tray full of paint a few feet away. Lowering down into a crouch, she dipped the end of the brush into the pool of liquid colour, and then she ran it over the edge, getting off the excess paint. "I'm almost done."

"And then what did you have planned, seeing as you totally ignored the options that I gave you." He pointed out but the sly smirk on his face said it all: he was just messing around with her. As much as he wanted to pretend he was disappointed that she wasn't naked, he knew that this was good for her too, at least if the room was finished, then they'd have a place to spend their nights when it was finally completed.

"I'm not wearing underwear under these clothes." She shot back, her tone completely serious. He studied her outfit and cocked his head to the side, drinking in the sight of her. She had on the shortest pair of flannel shorts imaginable and her faded black tank top, which hugged her body perfectly, was covered in splatters of paint.

"Not even a bra?" He questioned and she shook her head no without even looking at him. "And you're totally bare under the shorts?"

"Yup, except for some paint splotches in places where paint should never go." She let out a laugh at her words and Jordan narrowed his eyes in on her upper thighs.

"How'd you manage that?"

"Long story short, I forgot I had paint on my hands when I went to the bathroom." She answered with ease and this time she stopped her movements before looking back at him over her shoulder. "This is hardly fair for me though."

"Why's that?"

"Because you have on way more clothes than I do, plus I'm pretty sure you've got underwear on. See, I'm at a total disadvantage."

"We can remedy that." Jordan laughed in response and pushed himself away from the doorframe.

She kept her eyes on him as he took a step back, moving into the hallway outside of the bedroom. Ryan shook her head at him with a smile and went back to touching up the paint on the walls, listening as his footsteps faded away. He had left her in the room by herself and she wasn't entirely sure what his plan was but she knew that when he came back, he'd either be in the clothes he wore for painting or, with any luck, hardly anything at all.

A few minutes later, and a few more dips of the brush into the paint, he cleared his throat and caught her attention as he stepped through the doorway. Ryan couldn't help but blush at the sight of him in nothing more than his boxer briefs.

"Now who's wearing too many clothes?" Jordan pointed out with a devilish smile.

"Well that's still hardly fair, I can just go around topless, I do have a little girl sleeping just down the hall that has a knack for walking into rooms without knocking." Ryan argued and gripped the paintbrush in her hand as he stepped towards her.

He stopped in his movements though and glanced back at the door, which was currently wide open. If she was worried about Kylie walking in without knocking on the door, there was a simple solution to that. Jordan backtracked and gently took hold of the edge of the door, shutting it with as much care as he could so as not to accidentally wake up the girl in question. Once the door was shut, he moved his hand down to the doorknob and furrowed his eyebrow.

"What kind of person doesn't have a lock on their bedroom door?" He grumbled but by the sound of Ryan's laughter coming from behind him, he knew she had heard him.

"Mothers of small children." Ryan countered and Jordan turned his body around to face her straight on. He scrunched up his nose in frustration and she merely shrugged at him. "Sorry you missed out on the crib stage."

"Yeah, I can see how that would've been a better solution." Jordan rolled his eyes and Ryan bent down, setting her paintbrush in the tray with the handle sticking out. "They're pretty much cages for babies."

"True." She nodded her agreement and made a move to pick up the tray, fully intending on cleaning it up. Jordan moved towards her and bent down next to her, taking it out of her hands and lifting it off the floor as he straightened up.

She stood by and watched as he carried it to the closed bedroom door, then he balanced the side of the tray it against his stomach while he used his hand to twist the doorknob. Once the door was open, Jordan disappeared out into the hallway and Ryan seized the opportunity to look around the room, taking in the sight of the freshly painted walls.

If it hadn't been for Jordan suggesting that they redo the room, then she'd still be on the couch in the living room and at the mere thought of spending night after night curled up with Jordan on the couch, she snorted at how absurd that would've been for them to do.

If Jordan hadn't come into her life when he did, would she have ever been able to pull herself out of the hole that losing Cole had put her in? Would she ever have managed to get herself back into her bedroom to sleep in a comfortable bed?

She considered the answers to the questions but part of her knew that unless something, or someone, had pushed her back to the bed that she would've been perfectly content pretending her bedroom didn't exist. Redoing it on her own would've seemed like an impossible feat, which meant that she never would've even tried without Jordan there to suggest the idea.

Before she had a chance to think about life before Jordan, he reappeared in the doorway, sans paint tray, and stopped just inside the door. Ryan tossed him a small, sad smile and he immediately raised an eyebrow, wondering what the hell had changed in the few minutes that he had been gone.

"You okay?" He asked in a soft voice and she took her bottom lip in between her teeth.

"Yeah, I'm good." She nodded and lifted her hands up, planting them on her hips as she continued to look at him. "Come on, let's get naked and then get into bed."

He hesitated but moved forward, closing the distance between them. She looked up into his eyes and forced herself to grin at him.

"We don't have to if you don't want to." Jordan murmured and his hands came up, his palms resting against the sides of her neck.

"I do." She replied, and brought her own hands up to grip his biceps gently.

"Ryan." He tilted his head to the side and studied her expression, trying to decipher what the look on her face truly meant. "If there's something bothering you, you can tell me."

She sucked in a breath and held the air in her lungs for a few seconds before releasing it. His lips turned upwards into a smile and without a second of hesitation, she moved onto her tiptoes and leaned forward, pressing her lips against his in a soft, passionate kiss.

His palms shifted downwards, running over her shoulders and down her sides where he took a firm, yet gentle, hold on her hips. Jordan jerked his arms back and forced her forward, her chest colliding with his and causing her to break the kiss, but he didn't give her more than a split second to prepare herself before he kissed her right back.

When he felt her palms pull away from his arms and meet his chest, he backed up, moving her with him. When the backs of his legs met the edge of the bed, he dropped down and sat on the covers, their lips never breaking, not even as she made a move to climb on and straddle him, forcing him backwards so that his back was against the covers. She leaned over him and relaxed her body against his, letting him band his arms around her back and hold her tight against him and only when she was comfortable in his hold did she tilt her head back and break the contact that his lips had on hers.

"Thank you." She whispered and ducked her head down slightly as his one hand came up, his fingers running through her soft, silky blonde hair.

"For what?" He asked, his voice no louder than hers for fear that he'd scare her.

"Being with me."

Jordan smiled up at her and tightened his arm around her waist, pulling her flush against him. She arched her back against his chest and let his hand fall away as she grabbed hold of the bottom of her shirt, lifting it up and over her head before tossing it to the floor.

His eyes flickered down to her bare chest and he couldn't help but think about how much he enjoyed being with her. When her forehead gingerly pressed against his, he brought his gaze back up and looked her in the eyes.

"You're gorgeous." Jordan hummed, his fingers gently drumming against the warm, soft skin on her back.

"Maybe." She countered and shifted her hips back and forth the tiniest little bit. He let out a moan at her actions, his fingernails biting into her flesh, eliciting a gasp from her.

"You are." He insisted and held on to her as he rolled them over so that they were lying on their sides facing each other. She let him cling to her and he kissed her on the lips yet again but pulled away quickly. "And I love coming home to you."

"I love you coming home to me too."

Jordan just smiled at her and held her in his grasp. She looked back at him, her eyes locked on his, and considered how far they had come since she had first laid eyes on him.

It was still hard to completely let Cole go but she knew that slowly and surely, she was on her way to being happy once again.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Thank you to those that reviewed:_**

 ** _A: your reviews always make me smile and I appreciate them so much! I'm glad that you're liking the story and seeing their relationship for Jordan's point of view_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: The long haul, yes, that would be nice, I think it's probably do-able. One day Kylie will get to call him daddy, one day. Thank you so much!_**

 ** _So, could you, would you kindly let me know what you guys thought?_**


	30. Chapter 30

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 30:_**

He hadn't been expecting to see Lydia Martin again for quite some time, yet she walked right up to him as he sat at his desk. Stiles Stilinski was following her and Jordan knew that whatever they were here for wasn't necessarily going to make a lot of sense. The last time Lydia had been to the station, she had left shortly after Meredith Walker had headed into mental breakdown territory.

Stiles motioned for him, waving to acknowledge that he had seen him and Jordan quickly stood up, moving to walk in front of them as he wordlessly lead them into the back room of the station. He opened the door and stepped inside, glancing back to make sure they were still following him.

"Your dad should be back within the hour. You want to wait in his office?" Jordan asked and slowed his pace down, turning his entire body to face them head on.

"Actually, we want to talk to you." Stiles stated and he and Lydia took a stance in front of Jordan.

"Privately." Lydia added in.

Jordan tilted his head to the side and used his hand to wave them forward. He headed for the sheriff's office, even though they weren't looking for the man in question, and ushered them inside. At least in this particular room, there wouldn't be any prying eyes or ears, which meant they'd get to speak to him in private, just like Lydia had requested.

Once the two had followed him inside, Jordan reached back and shut the door. He then crossed the room and leaned against the desk, watching as Lydia produced a folded piece of paper from her bag. She handed it to him and Jordan studied it for a few seconds before taking it out of her hold and reading over the contents on the half he was looking at.

"That is part of list of people who are being targeted." Stiles explained vaguely and Jordan narrowed his eyes in on him, urging him to say more without actually saying anything. "See there's uh, well there's a few parts to the list and this is one of them."

"This is a hit list?" Jordan asked bluntly, trying to understand what the hell they needed to talk to him about. Surely the sheriff would've been a better person to bring this to, right?

"We call it a dead pool. Recognize any of the names?" Stiles questioned, knowing full well that they were familiar, at least some of them were.

"Yeah, the Sheriff had me run a bunch of these through the system last night but we couldn't find any of them." Jordan answered with a shake of his head.

"Show him the other thing." Stiles looked to Lydia and waved his hands sporadically in front of him.

Lydia lifted her hand up and carefully reached out, taking hold of the bottom of the page in Jordan's hold. He let go of the piece of paper long enough for her to flip it over and then proceeded to grab hold of it again, his eyes looking at a whole bunch of letters, numbers and symbols that filled the bottom half of the page, well, except for a part at the top, which had his name on it, the number '5' right next to it.

What the hell was his name doing on a hit list, or more correctly, a dead pool? What had he done to warrant this sort of thing and what exactly did the number next to his name mean? Was there someone out there who was targeting him and if that was the case, why? He was nothing more than an upstanding citizen who worked as a deputy. He had a stable relationship and the growing responsibility of a little girl on top of that, where had he gone wrong?

He pushed himself away from the desk and continued to look at his name typed out on the page. Did Ryan have something to do with this? Would he find her name, or Kylie's, on one of the other supposed parts of the list?

"Okay, that's kind of terrifying. What's the number?" He asked and stopped a few steps away from the desk. He didn't look at Lydia and he didn't look at Stiles, if he could just try to pretend this wasn't scaring him then maybe he could act like it wasn't something he needed to worry about.

"That's how much you're worth." Lydia answered.

Jordan whipped around and looked at the two of them, anger and disbelief running through his veins.

"I'm worth five dollars?"

"Five million." Stiles corrected him with an impressed look on his face. He then held out his hand, his fingers on display to show him that, yes indeed, he was worth _five_ million, before pulling his hand back and letting it hang at his side.

"I only make 40,000 a year. Maybe I should kill myself." Jordan sighed but shook his head at the thought. No, he wasn't going to think about that anymore, in fact, he already regretted saying it. There was no way he'd forfeit the chance to spend time with Ryan and Kylie, even if it was sort of a joke. "I don't get it. Why-why am I on this?"

"Honestly, that might be a question for another day. Right now, there's still another third of the list we got to crack." Stiles veered away from Jordan's primary concerns and Jordan knew that this was the reason they were here, this was the exact moment when they'd ask him for whatever it is they needed help with.

Jordan looked between them and when Stiles' settled his gaze on Lydia, Jordan followed his lead and waited for her to speak.

"We need the third cipher key, but we need help getting it." Lydia added with a questioning expression.

"From who?" Jordan pushed her for more details, which was something the two of them seemed to be avoiding. He merely hoped that whatever they were really asking for was something that he could actually do. Just because he was a deputy didn't mean he had the same authority as the sheriff.

"Meredith."

"The girl from Eichen?" Jordan shot back, his eyes widening in total disbelief. He walked over towards the door and pulled it open. "The last time you saw her, you almost gave her a nervous breakdown."

He stood at the edge of the door, looking at them with an implicating look. He wanted them out of the office, he wanted them gone, but at the same time, he wanted answers himself.

If he was on the dead pool, did that mean that he was in danger and if he was, did that danger extend out to reach Ryan and Kylie?

"Uh Almost." Lydia argued and Jordan found himself debating what he really wanted to do.

Could he really help Stiles and Lydia and if he did, would they in turn be able to give him more answers?

"And what did you need me to do?" Jordan asked before he could really consider what he was doing. A bigger part of him wanted to keep people safe and maybe even find out what this all had to do with him. If he scratched their backs, they'd scratch his, that was how it worked in his head. If he helped them crack the third code, maybe it'd make his job easier, maybe he'd be able to prevent someone else from getting killed.

"We need you to get us _to_ her." Stiles explained. "You can do that, right?"

Jordan sucked in an anxious breath and considered his options.

Option one: he could deny their request and send them on their way, but that could easily result in more casualties, not to mention he'd be completely oblivious as to why his name was on the dead pool.

Option two: he could help them get to Meredith and maybe get some more names to run, names of people that were targets. Plus if he helped them get to Meredith, if he allowed them to try to break the code with his assistance, then he'd be able to go to bed at night without wondering what could've happened if he didn't.

Perhaps there would be more names that he recognized, more names like Ryan Sloane, Ken Robertson, people that he knew personally. If there was even a small chance that he'd be able to stop something bad from happening to them then he had to do it.

"If I help you, you tell me the names on the third part." Jordan threw out and hoped that they'd accept his terms without putting up too much of a fight.

"Well, I guess we could do that." Lydia nodded her head.

"But only if you can get us right to Meredith." Stiles quickly added.

"Sounds fair to me." Jordan stated and waved the two of them forward, signaling for them to lead the way.

"Alright, let's go." Stiles moved through the door first, Lydia right behind him. Once Jordan was out of the sheriff's office, he shut the door behind them and stole one last look at the list in his hand.

If he could just find out why his name was on the list, then he'd know that taking the two teenagers to Eichen House would be worth it.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Jordan wasn't sure what he was doing and why he was helping Lydia Martin and Stiles Stilinski but nonetheless he found himself standing at the front desk to Eichen House requesting a visitation with Meredith Walker, a girl that Jordan found himself seeing more often than he would've liked. When the woman waved over a male orderly, Jordan, as well as the two teenagers, were whisked away, led down halls left and right until they arrived at the room that apparently belonged to Meredith, the girl that Lydia and Stiles needed to see.

Remaining quiet, Jordan merely stood back and watched as the male orderly sifted through a ring of keys, searching for the one that would unlock the door in front of them and let them in to see Meredith. He tried one key in the lock and when it didn't even turn, he moved on to the next one, repeating this process over and over again.

Stiles stole a look over Jordan's shoulder and let out a sigh of frustration, "oh, no, not this guy."

Jordan followed Stiles gaze and his eyes landed on Brunski, who had been a part of the team who had shown up to collect Meredith from the sheriff's station the night that Jordan had found her wandering the coast. He didn't say a word though, instead, he tried to remain calm, knowing that the man walking down the hall towards them was going to make this anything but easy for them, he was just that type of person and Jordan was all too familiar with people like him.

"What the hell are we running here? A bed and breakfast?" Brunski forced his way through the three of them and roughly grabbed the keys out of the man's hand, stopping him from unlocking the door to the room holding Meredith. "We do _not_ just open the door for anyone with a badge."

"We need to talk to Meredith Walker." Jordan said calmly and Brunski turned his attention to him. "It involves a murder investigation."

"Well, you can talk to her all you want, but these two, especially that one," Brunski paused and looked directly at Stiles, his gaze lingering on the teenager, "they're out of here."

"They're crucial witnesses in an ongoing investigation. I wouldn't have brought them here if it wasn't absolutely…crucial." Jordan fought back the urge to groan at his own mistake. As if he couldn't come up with another word for crucial, what the hell had he been thinking? Oh well, it was too late to back out now, no sense getting caught up in his little mishap so instead of dwelling on his booboo, he was going to press forward.

Brunski brought his attention right back to Jordan and he leveled a glare on him that was nearly threatening. If Jordan hadn't been wearing a badge and gun, maybe the intimidation technique would've worked but unfortunately for Brunski, it took a lot more than a glare to intimidate Jordan.

"Okay, deputy, how about you come back with a court order, then I'll listen." Brunski finished his statement off with a small scoff before immediately setting his sights _back_ on Stiles, only this time he took a step towards the boy going right back to his attempts at intimidation. "As for you, Mr. Stilinski, how about you come back with payment in full. That's right, daddy may be the sheriff, but he's late on the bills. I guess those government jobs aren't as reliable as they used to be, huh?"

"But they do help when you need a favor." Jordan cut in and tipped his head slightly to the side, drawing Brunski's attention away from Stiles and back to him. "Like, how a month ago, Canaan P. D. helped you get home after blowing 0.1 on a breathalyzer."

"No." Stiles lips immediately turned up into a victorious smirk, it was clear the teenager was fighting back a laugh, and Jordan tried to hold off the urge to join him in celebration. Brunski nodded his understanding at Jordan's threat and forced an awkward smile in their direction, yes, he was stuck now, there wasn't anywhere for the man to turn. They had won this round but Jordan knew that the war was far from over.

"All right. I'm not against a little quid pro quo. Not at all." Brunski gave Stiles' chest a rough pat and Stiles' hand moved up to take the keys out of the man's hand. "Not at all."

Without another word shared between them, Brunski turned on his heel and headed down the hall almost as though he didn't want anything more to do with any of them. Jordan watched the back of the man until he turned the corner and disappeared, silently accepting the win with a smile.

"You, you, I like you." Stiles stated and handed Jordan the keys, giving him a reassuring pat on the back. "I'm going to keep you."

Jordan moved closer to the door and began sorting through the keys on the ring, searching for the right one just like the male orderly had been doing before Brunski had shown up. He tried a couple of keys until the one in the lock moved, clicking as it turned and freeing the door from its prisoner-esque position.

He pushed it open, hearing Lydia and Stiles following him in and before they even got inside, Meredith turned her head and looked at them from her perch on the edge of the bed. Jordan waved the two teenagers forward and once they were passed him, he gently shut the door to prevent Meredith from getting out as Lydia and Stiles took a seat on the bed across from the one Meredith was seated on.

"We're here to talk to you about the third cypher key." Jordan announced and took a stance in front of the door.

"I can't…I can't tell you."

"Meredith, what you mean you can't tell us?" Lydia questioned and readjusted herself on the bed. Jordan kept his eyes trained on the two teenagers, hoping that this turned out as well as it possibly could. After the whole ordeal in the sheriff's office where Lydia had nearly driven Meredith over the edge, Jordan wasn't as confident as he had been once before. Hurting Meredith, physically or mentally, didn't bode well for anyone, especially not the already less than sterling reputation of the Beacon Hills Deputies.

"We just need the third key. You can give it to us in numbers, letters, hieroglyphs, whatever you want." Stiles offered, his hands flailing in the air in an attempt to coax the necessary information out of her.

"I can't." Meredith argued.

"Then why did you give us the second key?" Lydia pressed.

"I wanted to help. That's what I want to do. I want to help." Meredith stated calmly.

"Great. So help us now. Okay? Give us the third cipher key." Lydia was clearly trying to remain calm but much like when she had spoken to Meredith in the station, it was obvious that she was growing frustrated and rather quickly.

"Things have changed. I-I can't." Meredith shook her head.

Jordan was tempted to end the entire interrogation and leave at that moment but if there was something that Meredith knew that could potentially help Lydia and Stiles unlock another part of the dead pool, which in turn may prevent more deaths, then maybe it was worth giving them a few more minutes. He just had to make sure he stopped the conversation before it drove Meredith, who was already looking rather fragile, over the edge.

"Why not?" Stiles asked but Jordan was already on alert, studying Meredith for signs of clear distress.

"Guys, go easy on her." Jordan spoke out and stole a glance at Stiles and Lydia before looking right back to Meredith.

"I'm sorry. I can't. He-he doesn't want me to." Meredith's voice was uneasy and it was obvious that the poor girl was already starting to lose it.

"He? Who's he?" Stiles asked yet another question, this time his tone was lower, softer even as though he was trying to reassure her that he was there to help as opposed to harm her.

"Meredith, who doesn't want you to tell us the third cipher key?" Lydia added, her tone remained unchanged though and Jordan held his breath for a few seconds, hoping that Meredith would remain in a non-frantic state.

"The Benefactor." Meredith stated, her eyes widening the slightest bit after she glanced between the two teenagers.

Jordan remained silent on the matter and kept his stance by the door. Not only was he there to prevent anyone from leaving who didn't need to leave but now he was there to try to keep the peace between them all. Meredith was clearly on edge and with each passing second Lydia was growing more and more frustrated.

When Lydia rose up and stood in front of the bed, Jordan's body jerked forward but he decided to let this play out a little bit longer. She began pacing back and forth, Meredith's eyes following each and every movement that she made.

"What's his name? You could just tell us his name." Lydia threw her hand up into the air, her composure cracking.

Jordan kept his eyes on her but found his thoughts drifting to Ryan. It had been a little while since she had heard from him and he hadn't exactly called her on the way to Eichen House, what would she think if she found out he was at the local asylum?

Did she even _know_ about Eichen House? If she did know about it, had she ever been in it, admitted even? It wasn't a farfetched idea to think that maybe she could've been inside the building after Cole passed away, the loss of her husband was an acceptable enough reason to be admitted into an insane asylum but surely Ryan would've mentioned it. Maybe she had spoken with one of the counselors that he knew Eichen House employed, she _had_ lost her husband unexpectedly, surely there would've been some lingering effects or feelings that wouldn't be easy to deal with.

Jordan shook his head slightly and pushed the thought of Ryan curled up on a bed inside Eichen House out of his mind, instead he focused on the conversation at hand. If Lydia and Stiles could get Meredith to give up the third cypher key, or even a clue as to what it was, maybe they'd be able to get him another list of names so that he could do his job and protect the citizens of Beacon Hills. That, of course, was a best case scenario. There was a whole other set of possible outcomes on the 'worst case scenario' list.

"Okay, you're shaking your head. What's that mean? Does that mean you don't know? Or you don't want to help us?" Stiles continued to ask her but his voice was less calm than it had been seconds ago.

"I can't-I can't help anymore." Meredith argued, shaking her head.

"How do you know about him?" Lydia demanded and Meredith's head moved back and forth in a frantic motion.

"Guys, I think we better stop." Jordan took a step forward and watched Meredith's head shake more and more.

"Meredith, a lot of people are going to die if you don't tell us." Lydia's voice rose with each word and Jordan made a move to take another step forward but Meredith's panicked voice stopped him in his track.

"I don't-I don't know. I don't know." Meredith's head shaking continued to escalate and Jordan knew that he was going to have to put a stop to this, and soon. "Please."

"Meredith, it's okay. You're going to be all right." Jordan tried to soothe her, to get her to calm down by reassuring her that he was right there. He wasn't about to let Lydia drive her to the edge yet again, she had to know that. He was a deputy, it was his job to protect the innocent and so far Meredith had done nothing wrong.

"Please. I don't-I don't-I don't know." Meredith just continued thrashing from side to side and Jordan stepped away from the door and headed towards her.

"Meredith." He was nearly pleading with her, wanting nothing more than for her to stop her flailing and settle down. If he could just keep her calm and reassure her that no one was here to hurt her, then maybe he'd feel less guilty about the night he had taken her to the station and subjected her to Lydia.

"I said," Meredith finally stopped whipping her head from side to side but her voice rose and the next words out of her mouth came out in a dire shriek. "I don't know!"

Her voice echoed off the tiled walls, a raw tone to the words, and Jordan glanced over at Lydia, who collapsed sideways against Stiles. She lifted her hands up frantically and made an attempt to cover her ears, to stop the grating screams still echoing within the room.

Once the screaming had finally stopped, Meredith pulled her legs up onto the bed and backed away into the corner, wrapping her arms around her legs, her head shaking slightly from side to side in sheer and utter terror. Whatever the girl had done was clearly an accident.

Jordan looked at Meredith for a few more seconds before turning his attention to Lydia, who was still leaning against her cohort. When Stiles brought his hand up and brushed her hair behind her ear, that's when he saw it, the crimson red liquid seeping out of her ear and dripping down the side of her face.

Without another second's worth of hesitation, he rushed forward, gathered the two teenagers up and ushered them out of the room, leaving Meredith on the bed, cowering in the corner.

As the door clicked shut behind them, Jordan locked his eyes on Lydia and Stiles, who were clinging to each other, unsettled by what had just transpired in the room with Meredith.

"Care to explain to me what the hell happened in there?" Jordan demanded but even still, his tone was calm.

"Maybe now's not…we should get her home." Stiles fumbled over his words and glanced down at Lydia, who had a faraway look in her eyes.

"Not, say, a hospital?"

"I got her, can we please just get her home?"

Jordan bit back a frustrated growl and waved his hand down the hall towards the exit. Once the two teenagers took up the lead, he followed them closely, the keys to the room securely in his hand.

Maybe he should've argued with Stiles and demanded that they get Lydia to a hospital, but Jordan wasn't up to fighting, he wasn't up for an argument, instead, he just wanted to get the hell out of there and get back home.

Ryan was a nurse, she could fix physical wounds and ailments but he knew that she was just as good at healing the emotional trauma and now he couldn't wait to see her.

Today had been far too exhausting and he thanked the heavens that it was almost over.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Thank you to A for your continued support and reviews! They mean the world to me!_**

 ** _Can I please get some more reviews please!_**


	31. Chapter 31

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 31:_**

"Mommy!" Kylie's voice sounded out from the living room and Ryan debated whether or not to run in and check on her.

While she didn't sound like she was in trouble, that didn't mean she wasn't about to do something that would wind her up there. If Ryan wasn't trying to get the chicken for dinner prepared, she wouldn't have thought twice about heading into the room that Kylie was playing in but she knew that if she left, she would have a slightly more difficult time getting back into making supper.

"What is it?" Ryan called back and she fell silent, waiting for Kylie to respond. After a few seconds, Ryan rolled her eyes at the silence and yelled for Kylie one more time. "What do you want Kylie?!"

"Mommy, Jordan's here!" Kylie screamed back, Ryan flinched as the little girl rushed across the floor, her footsteps loud and easily heard in the kitchen.

Ryan let out a soft sigh and stepped towards the entryway, pausing just inside the kitchen and poking her head around the wall. She locked her eyes on Kylie, who was standing a few feet in front of the door on the balls of her feet. Her little body vibrated with excitement and before Ryan knew it, a smile spread across her face.

Kylie was definitely entertaining and there wasn't a thing in the world that she'd trade Kylie away for. She constantly reminded her of Cole, the little girl's eyes were the very same shade of blue and the smile that she often presented her with was the mirror image of her late husband's.

"Careful Kylie." Ryan chuckled and when the doorknob turned in front of their very eyes, Kylie stopped moving altogether and simply stared at the door. As Jordan appeared with each inch that the door opened, Kylie slunk a little bit closer to the door and when he opened it the whole way, she launched herself at him, hugging him around the waist.

Jordan looked at Ryan and threw her a smile as he bent down, grabbed hold of Kylie and hauled her up into his arms. When her legs came around his hip and she settled against his chest, he carefully shut the door behind him and stepped forward, moving closer to Ryan.

"Jordan did you have to blow up any more mines today?" Kylie asked and wrapped her arms around his neck, hanging on tight as Jordan continued to move forward.

He paused long enough to flip his shoes off with his feet and then he carried on, heading right for Ryan who had remained in the doorway.

"No, no more mines, sorry to disappoint you Kylie." He teased and tightened his hold on her as he bypassed Ryan and stepped into the kitchen.

Ryan walked to the front door and flipped the lock across, then she moved his shoes closer to the mat. Looking around at the front hall, she squeezed her eyes shut and brought Jordan to the forefront of her mind.

She adored the man and the little display with Kylie seconds ago had warmed her heart. She wasn't going to take back her invitation for him to move in with them, not at all, but she wanted to know what his plan was, when he was going to be moving in, _if_ he was still interested.

"Mommy come on!" Kylie called out and Ryan's eyes popped open. She rushed forward and when she moseyed into the kitchen, she made a mental note that Jordan was at the counter in front of the raw chicken and Kylie was sitting _on_ the counter next to him, looking up at him with a look of admiration.

"What are you making?" Jordan asked and turned his head to the side, taking in the sight of Ryan as she closed in on them.

"Homemade chicken fingers." She shrugged in response and Kylie's eyes lit up. The little girl lifted her hands up and used them to cover her mouth as she gaped with excitement. "Probably have fries too."

"That sounds like a lot of work." Jordan remarked and motioned towards the raw chicken before him. "Need some help?"

"Um, I mean, if you want. You can go play with Kylie if that's more appealing." Ryan offered and Kylie's hands dropped away from her face.

"We can both help." Kylie threw out and looked at Jordan for approval. He smiled down at her and nodded his head, yes they could all make dinner together, that sounded like something Jordan would like immensely.

"Okay, yeah, sounds good." Ryan glanced down at the counter at the chicken and mentally recalled what she needed to make dinner.

She turned towards the fridge and wandered away, leaving Jordan and Kylie near the chicken as she gathered up the rest of the ingredients. Jordan proceeded to make silly faces at Kylie, eliciting giggles from the little girl as Ryan moved around, first to the fridge, where she gathered up some eggs and the milk carton; then she stopped at the cupboard and produced a bowl.

"Jordan can you get the flour?" Kylie asked and brought Jordan's attention back to making dinner. Apparently Kylie knew the drill for homemade chicken fingers because when she had asked for flour, she had used a tone that held enough conviction for him to do was he was told.

"It's in the container on top of the cupboards." Ryan added and Jordan glanced upwards, seeing the container in question. "Stool's under the table if you need it."

Kylie's eyes never left his form as he walked over to the table and bent over, grabbing the small step stool that was tucked away underneath. He then moved over and placed it in front of the cupboard, stepping up onto it and taking the container of flour in his grasp. Kylie reached out from her seat on the counter and when he was back with his feet on the floor, he handed it to her and looked at Ryan, expecting his next instruction.

"Now we need a plate!" Kylie squealed and Jordan's eyes immediately fell on her. She pointed to the cupboard next to her and even went as far as to pull open the door.

Jordan nabbed a small plate off the top of one of the piles and handed it to her. Kylie set it on the counter beside her, then popped the lid off the flour revealing a small metal scoop jammed into the white powder.

"Watch her with that, she makes a mess." Ryan announced from nearby and Jordan nodded his understanding before watching her for a few more seconds. Ryan cracked the eggs that she had retrieved from the fridge, which went into the bowl she had grabbed from the cupboard. Then she added salt and pepper from the shakers on the counter before whipping the eggs with a bit of milk.

When he turned back to face Kylie, he winced at the sight; her black jeans now had white handprints on them and her hair, which was normally a bright, golden blonde, was dull and covered in flour.

"You were supposed to watch me Jordan." Kylie grinned at him and leaned forward, pressing her flour covered palms against his uniform shirt, flour puffing up into his face. "Rule number one, always listen to mommy."

"What's rule number two?" Jordan questioned as he brushed his hand over his shirt, trying to get the flour to disappear.

"That's the only important rule." Kylie countered and moved her hands back, winding up before she leaned forward and slapped her palms against his shirt, yet again. Ryan turned to face the two and shook her head, part of her wondering if the whole interaction with Kylie would turn him off of wanting to live with them.

She figured that this was a good test, if Jordan wasn't capable of handling Kylie then it was probably best to know before he moved in. If he couldn't handle it, then he could leave, he could get away from both girls without causing too much of a disturbance in their routines.

On the other hand, if Jordan seemed okay with dealing with Kylie, then that was all the better, which would just reassure Ryan that she had made the right call. He'd need to get to know Kylie on a more personal level, why wait until he was living with them before exposing him?

"You going to give her a bath later deputy?" Ryan asked with a smirk and Jordan furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Next time, don't take your eyes off of her."

Jordan caught the look of amusement on her face and relaxed instantly. She wasn't mad, she wasn't even the least bit upset. She seemed to understand that he was still new to the Sloane household, he'd need a little bit of time to get used to the rules and routines before he'd fit in perfectly.

"Got it." Jordan smiled back at her and Ryan wandered over towards them, the bowl full of the egg mixture in her hands.

She set it on the counter beside the kitchen sink and Kylie slid the plate full of flour closer to her. Jordan made a move to grab Kylie and lift her off the counter but Ryan shook her head and set her hand on his forearm, gently pushing it down.

"She knows what she's doing, well, sort of." Ryan explained and gave Kylie a nod.

The little girl grabbed a piece of the chicken, which was cut into smaller pieces and cleaned of the fat and grit. Jordan watched on as Kylie dropped the fillet onto the flour and then proceeded to sprinkle more flour overtop. He didn't take his eyes off of her, even as she lifted the chicken piece up and slipped it into the egg mixture. Ryan hadn't been wrong, apparently Kylie knew what she was doing.

"Mommy, I need the crackers!" Kylie whined and poked at the chicken marinating in the eggs. She sloshed it around and a few drops splattered on the counter but Ryan didn't seem too concerned, in fact, she had already turned her back to the little girl and headed over to another cupboard, this time she produced a box of cracker crumbs.

Grabbing another plate out of the cupboard, Ryan poured the crumbs onto the plate and headed towards them, setting it next to the egg bowl. Kylie beamed up at her and drove her hand into the eggs, pulling out the piece of chicken and then dropping it onto the cracker crumbs.

"I'll take it from here Ky-pie." Ryan laughed and shot Jordan a smile. Jordan glanced between the two girls and found himself hoping that he'd be a decent addition to their little family. He didn't want to get between them, he didn't want Kylie to be uncomfortable and he certainly didn't want to ruin the dynamic that Ryan and Kylie had, even before he came into their lives.

"You do the next one Jordan." Kylie pulled him out of his thoughts and Jordan looked at the raw chicken hesitantly. "I can show you again, if you want?"

"Maybe you can walk me through it?" Jordan suggested with a smile and Kylie nodded her understanding.

He took hold of a piece of the raw chicken and Kylie pointed at the flour. Jordan let the chicken drop a few inches, sending the white powder up in a small cloud around it. Kylie then motioned towards the eggs but Jordan waited for her to cover the top half of the chicken in flour first. He lifted it up and let it slide into the eggs, pulling it out after a few seconds and setting it on the cracker crumbs. Kylie rubbed more of the crumbs on the top and then Ryan took hold of it, taking it away from their little set up and walking it over to another plate beside the stove.

"You did good." Kylie giggled and Jordan couldn't help but smile right back at her.

"You did better." Jordan pointed out and Kylie shrugged at him before starting right back in on making the chicken fingers. Jordan simply watched her for a few seconds, taking in the sight of her as she moved and when Ryan's hand fell onto his shoulder, offering him a tea towel to wipe his hand off. He then looked over at her, the smile never leaving his face.

"Good day at work?" She asked in a low tone, Kylie not paying any attention to the two of them.

"Uh, the word I would use is interesting." Jordan answered and lifted his hand up, the one that was now free from the flour, egg and cracker crumbs. He tossed the towel onto an empty patch of counter. "Lydia Martin and Stiles Stilinski showed up at the station looking for me."

"Really?"

"Yeah, apparently my name is on some sort of hit list."

Ryan's eyes narrowed in on him and he shook his head, mouthing the word 'later'. She knew immediately that he didn't want to talk about it in front of Kylie but Ryan quickly filed it away for a time when Kylie wasn't in the same room as them.

"Well that's…fun." Ryan remarked and tried to keep her voice from sounding as worried as she felt.

"Yeah, then we took a little field trip to Eichen House."

"What's that?" Kylie broke in and looked up at Jordan, her nose scrunched up in confusion.

"It's a place where people who are sick go to stay." Ryan was quick to answer and Kylie opened her mouth to ask more questions. "Sick in a way that I can't help them."

"Oh." Kylie seemed to accept the answer but Ryan knew she'd have to explain it more at a later date. For the time being, Kylie focused back in on covering the chicken pieces with flour, then egg and finally the crackers.

"Stiles said that he liked me." Jordan chuckled and Ryan joined him. "He said that he was going to keep me, are you going to let him get away with that?"

"If Stiles Stilinski approves of you then you should feel honoured." She remarked and looked at him with a proud smile. "That kid doesn't trust just anyone."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, it took him forever to accept that I was going to be his babysitter, he used to get so upset, he thought that I was there to take over for his mom but I mean, I watched him for a few hours at a time." Ryan explained and found herself thinking back on some of the fond memories she had with Stiles from when she was younger. "He wouldn't let me near his toys, he'd freak out if I went into the kitchen, god it took everything I had not to just quit on him."

"Did you ever babysit for the Martins?" Jordan questioned but Ryan shook her head no.

"Just Stiles and Scott. I watched over the Whittemore's kid once or twice but that was it."

"Oh."

"Yeah, you'd think that babysitting would help with the whole 'having a kid' thing but nothing can prepare you for a baby." Ryan laughed happily and stuck her tongue out at Kylie, who mirrored her mother's action and stuck her own tongue out too. "On a side note, Lydia Martin was basically the town whack job for a while."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, she disappeared from the hospital a year or so ago and the sheriff found her a while later naked. She was running around without _any_ clothes, like buck naked!"

"I'm sure there was a reasonable explanation-"

"I just filed the whole thing under 'bizarre occurrences' along with the attack at the hospital and the Walcott kid eating that deputy." Ryan shrugged and met his gaze. He looked worried about her and maybe she _was_ a little scared about everything but she had a family to take care of, a little girl to protect. If there was one thing Ryan had learned long ago, it was to show no fear in front of Kylie, someone had to be strong for her baby and since Cole was no longer around, that burden fell on Ryan.

"Lydia's certainly got quite the reputation." Jordan pointed out.

"You've been around her before?" Ryan locked her eyes on him and stiffened next to him.

"Well yeah, she's been in the station a few times, and she was with me at the Walcott house."

"Weird." Ryan mumbled and moved away from him. She grabbed a few pieces of chicken that were now in a pile at the end of the line and headed over to the plate next to the stove.

Jordan studied Ryan as she moved away from him and wondered what on earth she seemed to have against Lydia Martin. As far as he was concerned, Lydia was just the type of person who seemed to show up at the right time, or the wrong time depending on how he looked at it, she was harmless, wasn't she?

"Are you jealous of her?" Jordan asked and watched as Ryan's shoulders lifted up the slightest little bit.

"Jealous, of a teenager? No, should I be?" Ryan shook her head and went right back to moving the chicken from one side of the kitchen to the other, only now she was completely avoiding his eyes.

"Well no, but then what's with this sudden awkwardness-"

"I'm not jealous, I just think it's weird that she shows up wherever you are. Like I said, she's got a reputation."

"Okay, well, in case there's more to this, you are aware that I'm not interested in her, like at all." Jordan stated.

"My mommy's better." Kylie grumbled and when Jordan stole a look at the little girl, he made a mental note that she was as guarded as Ryan at this point in time. Like mother, like daughter, right?

"She definitely is, like a thousand times better." Jordan agreed and looked at Ryan, who hesitantly met his gaze. "Ryan, you're the _only_ one I want."

"That's good but I'm not worried about that." She scoffed in response. "I just think you should be a little more careful around her, that's all."

"I'll keep that in mind." Jordan rolled his eyes and Ryan seemed to relax the slightest little bit at his reply. Before another word could be shared between them, Jordan felt his phone vibrating in his pocket.

He dug it out and looked at the screen, wondering why the station was calling him now. He had just come from there, what could they want from him? Ryan looked at him and kept her eyes trained on his as he hit the answer button, lifting the phone up and holding it against his ear.

"Parrish here."

He listened to the person on the other end and furrowed his eyebrows together. Apparently Lydia had just called him at the station and left a message, now the deputy was passing it along to him. It would seem that she had managed to crack the code, unleashing the third part of the dead pool and apparently Meredith Walker's name was on it. Jordan didn't say anything, not even when the deputy on the other end finished speaking. He waited a few seconds after his co-worker had hung up and then tucked his phone back into his pocket.

"Do you have to go?" Ryan asked, her voice soft and scared. He hadn't realized how truly afraid she was of him having to go do his job. He knew that she was uncomfortable and rightly so but there was a look in her eyes that broke Jordan's heart.

Was she always terrified of him leaving, would she ever be able to accept that this was his job, that he held a position that required some risk now and then?

"No, not yet anyways." Jordan shook his head and motioned for her to come towards him. "I'm here, with you."

She nodded her understanding and let out a sigh of relief, "good because if you ask Kylie, I make the best homemade chicken fingers and you wouldn't want to miss them."

"Definitely don't want to miss them." Kylie echoed with a grin on her face. "I like mine with plum sauce!"

"I prefer ranch." Ryan added.

Jordan chuckled at the two of them and reached out, dragging the tip of his index finger through the remaining flour on the plate. Before she could get away, Jordan reached his finger out and ran it over Ryan's cheek, leaving a white streak there before repeating the process, this time running his finger down Kylie's nose.

She erupted into a fit of giggles and reached her hands out towards Jordan, waving her cracker covered fingers at him, meanwhile Ryan nabbed a pinch of flour of her own and threw it at Jordan's head, the powder settling in his hair.

As their laughter filled the kitchen and flour flew between the three of them, Jordan considered what it would be like when he finally managed to move it.

If it was anything like it was at that very moment, he knew he'd enjoy his stay.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

It was the vibrating of his phone against the surface of the table that had woken him up. As stealthily as he could, Jordan peeled himself away from Ryan, trying his best not to disturb her, and rolled towards his cell phone. His fingers wrapped around it and he lifted it up, off the bedside table, blinking away the blur from sleep before looking at the screen.

Well, he couldn't really say that he was shocked to see the sheriff's station calling him, he was a deputy after all, but what were they doing calling him in the middle of the night.

Jordan slipped out of the bed and ran his hand down his t-shirt covered chest, pulling his boxers up from where they had slipped down to in his slumber. Without putting it off for another second, he headed towards the bedroom door, stepped into the hall and answered the call.

"Parrish here." He tried to sound awake and commanding but he knew that the tiredness had seeped into his tone.

"I was told to call you to inform you of some-"

"Spit it out Haigh." Jordan cut him off and found himself wondering if maybe he was calling with the hopes of ruining his night with Ryan, the man did have a weird fascination with her and Jordan wouldn't have put it past him.

"Meredith Walker was found in her cell a little while ago." Haigh paused and sucked in a breath. "She hanged herself, sorry Parrish."

"She's dead?"

"Unfortunately, hey man, I really am sorry to hear that, I know how important she was to your investigation."

Jordan shook his head and tried to wrap his mind around what his fellow deputy had just told him. Meredith Walker, the girl that he had seen mere hours ago, was dead. Even in the middle of the night, with the haze of sleep lingering, he knew that something wasn't right. It sounded like a cut and dry situation and the last time Jordan had seen Meredith, she had been on edge, but would she really have committed suicide out of her own accord?

"Keep me posted if you hear anything else." Jordan instructed.

"You got it." Haigh countered and hung up the phone. Jordan paused and listened to the tone for a few seconds before slowly pulling his cell away from his ear. He held the device in his hand and made a move to head back into the bedroom, which is precisely when he heard it.

There was a distinct creaking sound and once that had stopped, Jordan narrowed his eyes down the darkened hall, trying to locate the source of the noise. When a shuffling sound echoed out into the hallway, Jordan leaned forward the slightest little bit and dared himself to take a step.

It wasn't until Kylie's bedroom door cracked open, the light from her nightlight drifting into the hallway, did Jordan relax and take a breath. Okay, so maybe there wasn't a threat in the house, he could handle Kylie, couldn't he?

"Hey?" He said softly and took a few steps towards her door, desperate to keep from freaking her out by his presence. Surely the little girl wasn't expecting anyone to be up.

"Jordan?" Her small voice called back out and she stepped out of her room into the hallway.

He studied her in the dim light and smiled at the sight of the teddy bear he had bought her clutched tight against her chest. She moseyed forward and looked up at him, her mouth opening wide as she yawned.

"What are you doing up?" He asked and closed the distance between them, crouching down in front of her so that he was at her eye level.

"I had a bad dream." She whined and lifted her free hand up, reaching out for him.

Jordan slipped his arms around her back and hauled her up as he stood. He settled her against his hip and she immediately dropped her head down to rest against his shoulder, the bear still in her hand.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" Jordan questioned but found himself confused as to what he was supposed to do about her. He _could_ go wake up Ryan and get her to handle Kylie but he was part of their lives now and maybe he could get Kylie to go back to sleep without disturbing Ryan.

"The wolves, they were…they were chasing me." Kylie grumbled and Jordan ran his one hand up and down her back in a soothing gesture. "They were going to eat me."

"That's awful." Jordan furrowed his eyebrows together and walked into her room, gently sitting down on the edge of her bed, Kylie still in his grasp. "Well I can tell you right now that I won't let the wolves get you."

"No?"

"Never." Jordan smiled at her and nodded his head towards her pillows. Kylie relaxed in his hold and squirmed until she was free, then she crawled back up to sit in her pillows, the bear hugged tight against her chest. Jordan extended his hand out and flipped her bedside lamp on, lighting up the room and giving him the ability to see her features clearly.

"I couldn't run very fast." Kylie confessed and looked down at the teddy bear's head. She ran her finger over its ear and stared up at him, her eyes shiny from the tears welling up in them.

"Trust me Ky, I won't let anything bad happen to you, or your mom, okay? I'm right here and I'll stay with you in your room until you tell me it's okay to leave." Jordan offered and Kylie nodded her head in understanding. "Nothing bad is going to happen while I'm here."

"I believe you." She blinked back the tears and Jordan thanked the heavens that she stopped herself before she even started. He pulled down the top of her covers and waved her in. Once she was lying down with her head resting on her pillow, Jordan lifted the covers back up and tucked her in.

Kylie pushed the teddy bear's head up so that it was half under the covers and half sticking out, then, without thinking, Jordan leaned down and pressed a sweet, reassuring kiss on the top of her head. Kylie let out a contented sigh and smiled up at him.

"You good now or do you want me to stay a little longer?" Jordan asked in a whisper and Kylie glanced down at her bear before looking right back up at him.

"Can you just stay until I fall asleep, please?"

He nodded his head at her and ran his hand over her head, Kylie's eyes fell shut at the motion. It wasn't even ten minutes later, Jordan simply watching her in silence, that her breathing evened out and her body relaxed into the mattress.

Taking in the sight of the sleeping girl, Jordan smiled to himself and let his mind drift to the future. If he ended up spending the rest of his life with Ryan, he hoped that there would be more children for them, for now he'd take what he could get.

Standing up, Jordan flipped the lamp off and turned towards the door, the tiny bit of light from her nightlight allowing him to get out into the hall without running into anything. As soon as he was out of her room, he reached back and pulled the door shut, letting out a breath of relief. He had done it, he had taken care of Kylie without Ryan's help and now he couldn't wait for the morning when he'd be able to tell Ryan all about what he had done.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _How are you guys liking Jordan and Kylie interacting? Are you guys still liking this story?_**

 ** _Thank you to A and poorxbrokexcollegexkid for your continued support and reviews! They mean the world to me!_**

 ** _A: I hope you continue to read and enjoy, I love hearing from you and I thank you so much for the reviews!_**

 ** _Can I please get some more reviews please!_**


	32. Chapter 32

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 32:_**

Jordan carried Kylie against his hip as he mounted the last few steps to his floor, Ryan trailing along behind them. Kylie began squirming in his hold so when he closed in on the door to his apartment, he crouched down and gently set her on the floor, her feet securely on the ground as she stood beside him, waiting patiently for him to unlock the apartment and let her inside to a world of wonder that she'd never seen before.

This was the moment he had been dreading ever since Ryan had asked him to move in. It wasn't that he was having second thoughts, on the contrary, he was way too excited to move in to consider not doing it now, it was merely the idea of having to move all of his stuff that bothered him.

While he didn't have all that much stuff, he had enough that it would take a few trips, and they'd have to get possession of Ken's truck for the furniture, that didn't mean it wouldn't take a while to get everything out of his apartment and into her house. Then he'd have to figure out where to put everything once it _was_ moved into Ryan's house. Were they going to end up fighting over what to put where and what furniture of his would make the cut? Was his stuff going to end up tucked away in the basement or would she tell him that he should get rid of it all together?

As he pulled his keys out of his pocket, Kylie's hand on his knee, he suddenly felt the air rushing out of his lungs. Sucking in a low breath, he prayed that he could keep himself calm, at least until he had a minute alone with Ryan; there was no sense bringing Kylie into his panicked state, he knew she could be over excitable on a good day. Today though, he wanted to keep everyone as calm, cool and collected as he could, which included himself.

"Jordan." Kylie whined and reached her one hand out, pressing her palm against the face of the door. "I want to see!"

"Kylie, be patient." Ryan muttered from her position just behind the two. Jordan had turned his head just in time to witness Ryan scoop Kylie up into her arms and prop the little girl against her hip. Kylie's arms wrapped right around Ryan's neck and she held on, her feet swinging back and forth and colliding with Ryan's body every time.

Jordan managed to get the key into the lock and turn it, releasing the deadbolt, but there was still a second lock, right in the handle that he had to open. Kylie let out a frustrated groan and dropped her forehead against Ryan's shoulder dramatically, by which point Jordan had managed to unlock the second lock and push the door open.

He swung his arm back and waved the two females forward, "welcome to my humble abode."

"What's an abode?" Kylie immediately threw back and Ryan scoffed at the little girl's never-ending curiosity.

"It's another word for home." Ryan mumbled and stepped in front of Jordan, heading into his apartment. Jordan followed her right in and once he was within the walls of his place, he shut the door and threw the lock across with the intention of keep unwanted visitors out.

Ryan bent down and set Kylie on the floor, watching in frustration as the little girl took off for the living room a million miles an hour. She tensed as Kylie launched herself at the couch but let out a relieved sigh when her little girl landed on the cushions, giggles erupting from her and echoing in the open-concept apartment.

Jordan came up behind Ryan and slipped his arm around her waist, reveling in the feel of her relaxing against his side. He ran his hand up and down her sight slightly and she turned towards him, pressing her chest against him and tipping her head down.

"You sure you want to do this?" She asked in a low tone and Jordan moved his free hand towards her, running his fingers through her hair while he kept his gaze locked on Kylie, who was rolling around on the couch not too far away.

"I do."

"You know that as soon as you move in, Kylie will be all over you and you won't be able to leave the house just to get away from her." Ryan pointed out.

"I still have a job." Jordan teased and let her cling to him, basking in his presence right next to her. "I don't want you worrying about me, this is what I want."

"Okay, then if there's ever a time where you want to break up, you have to let me know. Don't just stick around because you don't want to leave Kylie."

"Well, _if_ that ever happens, you'll be the first person I talk to. What are you afraid of here Ry? Kylie and I get along just fine."

"That's what worries me. Will you be able to be a bad guy when it comes to her, can you tell her no and have her be mad at you?"

Jordan took her words to heart and leaned his head down, pressing a gentle kiss against her temple. Would he be able to be the bad guy when it came to Kylie? Or would he leave that role to Ryan? Was her question implying that he was going to have to start playing a bigger parental role to the child and if that was the case, was he ready for a responsibility like that?

He adored Kylie, thought the world of her, but so far in the time that he had known her, he hadn't been anything but nice. He hadn't ever said no, not outright, and he hadn't really been involved in one of Kylie's infamous moods. If he was around for when she did start misbehaving, what _would_ he do?

"I might need a little guidance but I think I can handle telling her no." Jordan answered and Ryan leaned her head back, looking up into his eyes.

"I can definitely guide you." She murmured and made a move to pull away but Jordan's hold on her only tightened, keeping her sidled right up against him.

"I want to be there for you and Kylie but you have to give me a bit of break, I've never _really_ dealt too much with someone else's kid."

"I know that." She huffed. "I just have visions of you being a lot like Cole when it comes to that little girl over there. He couldn't tell her no, not for a second and I don't want to be the bad guy all the time."

"If you're going to give me the opportunity to be a parent to Kylie then I'm going to do my best but you have to be gentle if I don't do it the way you're intending. Talk to me, tell me what I should be doing okay? Just don't get mad at me when I have no idea what I'm doing."

Ryan nodded her head yes, understanding clearly that he was new to the parental role. She could definitely guide him, mold him into the best co-parent that she could and maybe her family would become better, stronger, because of it. She wanted Jordan to step up, she wanted him to be a part of Kylie's life and not just because he was with her. Ryan wanted Jordan to be interested in the little girl and do the best he could when it came to her well-being.

"We should get a move on with the whole 'packing up some of your stuff' thing, Kylie's going to get bored soon and when she's bored, she gets cranky." Ryan stated and reluctantly peeled herself away from him. Jordan let her go but let his hand linger on her wrist, grasping it gently.

"Maybe tomorrow, when you head into work to talk to your boss, I can watch Kylie." Jordan offered in a low voice so that Kylie wouldn't overhear him.

"You want to watch her, by yourself?" Ryan studied his expression and when he smiled at her, she felt her heart melting. "You promise me that if she gets too out of hand that you'll call me or my dad?"

"I promise." Jordan's smiled grew even wider.

"And I don't want you to feel like you have to do this."

"Think of it as a test. If I can't handle her for a couple of hours on my own, then maybe you'll have to give me a one on one crash course in parenting." Jordan teased and Ryan glanced over her shoulder, catching sight of Kylie lying on the couch on her back, waving her hands and legs in the air.

"Okay." She breathed the word out.

"She and I can come back here and get some more of my stuff." Jordan suggested and looked around the room. "That way I can sneak my unmentionables into your house without you knowing."

"Like your smut mags?" She narrowed her eyes in on him but found that she could barely contain her own smile.

"Nobody buys smut magazines anymore, welcome to the future Ry, porn is free on the internet."

She rolled her eyes at him but let out a sympathetic chuckle, "just don't be watching any of that when you're supposed to be keeping an eye on Kylie."

"Scout's honour." Jordan gently shoved her forward and fell in step behind her, the two of them wandering towards the couch.

Ryan broke the grip he had on her wrist and bent over, hauling Kylie up onto her hip before following Jordan into his bedroom. As soon as Kylie laid her eyes on the bed, she began squirming and Ryan couldn't put her on the bed fast enough.

Jordan dropped down and sat on the edge, offering Kylie his hand as he made his way onto his back. Ryan watched with a curious expression as he propped his feet on the bed so his knees stuck up, then motioned for Kylie to step forward. The little girl climbed over him and set a foot on either side of his hips, waiting a few seconds for him to pull his legs back, gently press the bottom of his feet against her stomach. He cautiously eased her up into the air, without letting go of her hands.

Ryan's eyes widened as Kylie hovered over him, his feet holding her up in the air while his grip on her hands stabilized her from falling to the side.

"Mommy look, I'm flying!" Kylie squealed, her tone loud with excitement.

"I can see that." Ryan tried not to sound too shaky, she was clearly nervous to have her baby girl up in the air like she was, but when she looked to Jordan, a grin on his face; she knew that Kylie was in good hands.

Jordan would be there to catch her, _whenever_ she fell.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Kylie had seemed in good spirits once Ryan had left for her meeting at the hospital, she had done everything Jordan has asked as they headed over to his apartment, including holding his hand in the parking lot and waiting until he was there before making a move to get out of her car seat. So far, so good.

It was when he had opened the door to his place that things started taking a turn for the worse. Kylie had done exactly what she had the day before and launched herself at the couch, to which Jordan was quick to walk over to her and pick her up, settling her against his hip as he made his way into the bedroom. She had squirmed in his hold but once her eyes set sight on the bed, she immediately stilled in his arms, which in Jordan's head meant that he was in for a world of trouble.

Ryan hadn't been wrong, Kylie was definitely more difficult than he had figured but that didn't mean he was about to give up, no. Jordan hadn't even been alone with her for an hour yet, surely things would get easier. Boy how wrong he had been.

As soon as he set her down on the bed, she had started hopping, which turned into full on leaps from the bottom of the bed to the pillows, where she'd drop down onto her knees and shriek with delight. He watched her as she picked herself up and launched herself back towards the end of the bed, where he quickly moved into her line of fire in case she overshot her mark.

"Jordan!" Kylie hollered and threw her hands into the air, taking big steps up the side of the bed.

He kept his eyes on her, flinching when she got particularly close to the edge, but he wasn't about to tell her to stop, not yet. He didn't see the harm in her having a little fun, maybe she'd even were herself out a wee bit, making her easier to handle.

"Watch the edge of the bed." He warned her but kept his tone light. "We don't want you to fall off now."

"Jordan, Jordan, Jordan!" She stopped her marching in the middle of the bed and simply collapsed, landing with a muted thud on her back, her head just barely reaching the bottoms of the pillows.

"Okay, no more of that." He said but again, his tone was light. He didn't want to pull out the angry voice, in fact he wasn't even sure he really had one, but this babysitting adventure would certainly see about that.

"It's fun though!" She exclaimed and wrapped her arms around her, spreading her legs and then rolling onto her side. "One more time."

It wasn't a question, he knew by her tone, but Jordan wasn't going to say no. Kylie clambered to her feet, took her position, the same as before, and spread her arms before collapsing to the bed one more time, an excited squeal erupting from her.

"Come on, we've got work to do." Jordan announced with gusto, trying to distract her from the fun she seemed to be having on the bed. "I have something for you too."

"Something for me?" Kylie scrunched up her nose and stared at him, Jordan moving over to his dresser and stopping in front of it. She scrambled to sit up and when she did, she continued to watch him as he dug through the clothes in the top drawer.

Jordan latched onto the t-shirt he had been looking for and pulled it free, opening it up all the way and turning to face her. It was exactly what he had promised her, one of his police academy t-shirts, and in near perfect condition too. Phase one of getting Cole's old football jersey mounted in a frame was complete, now he just had to actually get it out of Kylie's possession and take it to a framing store.

"Remember, you said you'd trade me your daddy's jersey for one of my t-shirts."

"And his too." She nodded.

"Well I've held up my end of the deal." Jordan extended the t-shirt towards her and Kylie snatched it out of his hands, balling it up in her grasp before hugging it tight against her chest. He smiled as she stuffed her nose into the material and took a big whiff.

"It doesn't smell like my daddy." She pointed out and lifted her head up, her eyes locking with Jordan's.

"Does it smell more like me?" He asked and took a step towards her. She dropped down onto the floor and stood at the side of the bed, waiting as Jordan dropped down into a crouch in front of her.

Before he could brace himself, she dove into his chest and buried her face into his shoulder, inhaling a deep breath and letting out a giggle. He wrapped his arms around her and held her against him as she continued to sniff him out.

"It does smell like you." She announced and leaned back, putting a little bit of space between them.

"Alright, what do you say we pack up some of my stuff and head back to your house, then you can give me the jersey?"

Kylie gave him a nod and Jordan relinquished his hold on her. She then stepped away from him, still hugging the shirt in her arms, and headed out into the living room, leaving Jordan crouched on the floor of his bedroom.

He let out a sigh of relief and bounced up to his full height, taking a look around the room and debating what would be the easiest stuff to take over to the house, especially with Kylie there with him.

Before he could even start to decide what he wanted to take, he heard a gut wrenching bang from the other room, which was quickly followed by the beginning stages of a wail.

Rushing out of his room, he spotted Kylie lying on the floor next to the couch clutching her knee to her chest, the t-shirt lying on the carpet next to her. Tears were pouring out of her eyes and with each passing second she seemed to scream louder. He dropped to his knees next to her and reached a hand out, pausing and waiting for her to look at him. When she did, his heart broke at the sight.

"Kylie, what happened?" He asked in a gentle tone, hoping that she'd calm down enough to tell him what had gone on while he had been in his room.

"My knee!" She wailed and pressed her palm against her knee harder.

"Can I take a look at it?" Jordan questioned and scooted forward on the floor. Kylie shook her head no and turned away from him, more cries erupting from her mouth. "Kylie, I can't help you if you don't let me look at it."

She seemed to go rigid at his words but she reluctantly turned her head to the side, looking at him in the process. Tears still poured out of her eyes but the wailing stopped, if only temporarily.

Jordan simply stared at her, waiting for her permission to take a look at her knee. When she scrambled towards him, he knew this was his opportunity. As she settled against him, her back pressing into his chest, he gently lifted up the pant leg on her jeans until her knee was revealed.

"Huh, well that's not so bad." He murmured and gingerly grabbed hold of her leg, just below what looked like a rug burn on her kneecap.

"It hurts." She whimpered and Jordan had no doubt in his mind that it did hurt. Rug burns _were_ painful, but they certainly weren't life threatening. After her admission, she let out an obnoxiously loud sob and swatted his hand away, Jordan letting go of her leg.

"Did you want a Band-Aid?" He asked.

"It hurts!" She wailed and looked down at her leg, tears blurring her vision.

"I don't know what you want me to do…" Jordan confessed and considered the possibilities. It was a rug burn, that meant that it probably felt like her knee was on fire, the best option he could come up with was to offer her an ice pack, maybe that would soothe the pain. "I can get you some ice."

"Make it stop hurting Jordan!"

Jordan fought off the urge to groan, this wasn't what he had been expecting when he had offered to babysit, no, he wanted a nice, easy afternoon with a well-behaved tot who wasn't injured and crying. He should've known better.

"What if we make another trade, you stop crying and I'll uh-"

"Will you play princess tea party with me?" She asked and looked up at him, her bottom lip quivering slightly.

"If I play princess tea party with you, you have to stop crying though."

"I know." She nodded her head once and lifted her hands up, swiping at the tears on her cheeks. Jordan watched as she sniffled a few times and sucked in a few big gulps of air. If this was how easily kids stopped crying then maybe he could deal with it after all. Seconds later she was quiet again and maybe even a little less excited.

"Okay, but we have to pack up a few things here before we go home."

"Okay." She murmured and poked at the rug burn on her knee. "Can I still have a Band-Aid?"

"Yes, you can definitely still have a Band-Aid."

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

When Ryan walked into her house, she hadn't expected it to be so _quiet_ yet it was. She knew that Jordan was home because his cruiser was parked in the driveway, but how had he managed to get Kylie to calm down and stay quiet. It was almost eerie, Kylie was just over three, there was no way the house should've been as calm as it was, which immediately set Ryan's alarm bells off.

Had something happened to them?

She dropped her bag at the front door and took off in a mad dash up the stairs, leaving her shoes on as she went. When she hit the landing at the top of the stairs, she felt a little more relief: sounds, voices, echoed from Kylie's room.

"What the heck?" She muttered to herself and promptly flipped off her shoes, leaving them against the wall at the top of the stairs.

Without further hesitation, Ryan headed for Kylie's room and poked her head in, her eyebrows furrowing together at the sight. If it hadn't been so unexpected, maybe she would've laughed but the fact that Kylie was being so quiet, so well behaved, had her nearly full, undivided attention.

"Hi mommy! It's a princess tea party!" Kylie turned to the door and lifted a hand up, a hand that was covered in an off-white, silky evening glove. Ryan had acquired some of her mother's old clothes when she had moved out and the evening gloves had been added to Kylie's dress-up collection without a second thought.

"Hi." Ryan replied, her tone laced with uneasiness. She looked over at Jordan and cocked her head to the side, wondering how on earth Kylie had managed to talk him into _his_ outfit.

There was a plastic silver tiara resting on his head complete with giant fake diamonds, a bright purple feather boa draped around his shoulders, and to finish it all off, a unicorn sticker stuck on his cheek. When he turned to face her head on, she took a step back and gasped at the sight of him wearing her bright red lipstick as well as a mass of different coloured eye shadow on his eyes, as well as everywhere else on his face.

"I made him pretty." Kylie beamed at Ryan and waved her mother forward. Ryan took a step into the room but pulled her phone out of her pocket, hitting the button on the side for the camera. Once she was inside the room, and in front of Jordan, she lifted her phone up and pressed the button, capturing the picture of Jordan as a pretty princess on her phone, which she vowed to show Melissa later.

"I may need your help getting this off my face later." Jordan admitted in a low tone and Ryan simply nodded her head, a smiling breaking out onto her lips. "And you better not show that picture to anyone, especially the other deputies."

Ryan pressed her lips together and gave him a nod.

"I want a picture of Princess Jordan!" Kylie whined and stepped off the little pink chair that matched the table the two of them were using as their tea party set up. Jordan was seated in the second little pink chair, which left Ryan without anywhere to sit.

"I'll print this out for you later, okay?" Ryan looked over at her daughter and grinned, Kylie pointing to her recently vacated chair, which Ryan promptly sat down in. Kylie then took hold of her white plastic tea pot and filled Ryan a tea cup with nothing more than pretend tea.

"Did you want sugar for your tea mommy?"

"Yes please." Ryan answered but locked her eyes on Jordan, who was suddenly a little more anxious than he had been before she sat down. "So, how _did_ she manage to get you to play princess tea party?"

"I made her a deal, I said that I'd play tea party if she stopped crying." Jordan breathed out, hoping that Ryan would go easy on him once she found out that he had injured her child.

"Why was she crying?" Ryan narrowed her eyes in on him.

"She managed to hurt her knee, rug burn. I left her alone for two minutes and before I realized that was a mistake, she was sobbing." Jordan confessed and Ryan's smile faltered but didn't completely go away.

"You seem nervous." She pointed out and Kylie wandered over, climbing up onto Ryan's knee and reaching for her own tea cup. "Why?"

"I hurt her." Jordan mumbled.

"No you didn't." Ryan shook her head.

"But she hurt herself because I wasn't watching her."

"That may be true but I know better than anyone; you can't keep your eyes on her every second of every day. I'm just glad you told me what happened." Ryan admitted and Jordan cocked his head to the side in confusion. "She's _going_ to get hurt Jordan, she's a kid, but as long as you tell me, there's no reason for me to get mad. I just need to know in case it turns into something bigger later."

He nodded his understanding and visibly relaxed in the tiny pink chair. Ryan shook her head at him in amusement and let out a chuckle.

"I liked helping Jordan today." Kylie broke in and looked between the two adults.

"Good." Ryan smiled down at her. "What do you say we finish up this tea party and then I can make dinner? You two must be starving."

"Yes!"

"Sounds like a plan." Jordan tossed in and he couldn't help but smile along with the two of them.

Even if he was sitting in a little pink chair wearing a crown and a boa, with makeup on his face, there wasn't anything about that moment that he would change. This was exactly where he wanted to be.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _And here we have Jordan and Kylie bonding without Ryan, how do you guys think he did?_**

 ** _Thank you again to my ever appreciated reviewers A and poorxbrokexcollegexkid!_**

 ** _A: Perhaps she's seen something before, or perhaps she's heard more of what's going on than everyone thinks. I hope you enjoyed this installment too, I try to put some light scenes in with the darker ones to try to balance everything out._**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: more kids, huh, well, I haven't really put too much thought into it but I can totally see Jordan being a really good dad too._**

 ** _kaylafig: Soon! Everything's going to start happening real soon! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you so much for the wonderful review!_**

 ** _Can I please get some more reviews, I'd love to know what you guys like or don't like, or what you're looking forward to or if you have any ideas/suggestions for season 5. Please just let me know_**


	33. Chapter 33

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 33:_**

The last thing that Jordan could remember was walking out of the station next to Haigh. They were supposed to be checking out a suspected trespasser but once the two of them were next to the cruiser, Jordan had felt a sharp pain in the back of his head before his entire world had gone fuzzy.

The first thing he noticed when he came to was the smell of gasoline, the very _strong_ smell of gasoline no less.

He tipped his head back, the weight on his neck almost too much for him to bear, yet he wasn't about to give up, not when he didn't know where he was or why everything smelled like gasoline.

Had there maybe been an accident? Jordan didn't know but he wanted to find out.

Leaning back against the seat, he took a look in front of him and jerked his entire body backwards, but his hands didn't move. They were secured to something and, after a few blinks to clear the fog in his head, he noticed that the something his hands were secured to was the steering wheel, the smell of gas now very clear. He was strapped to the wheel inside his very own deputy cruiser while someone outside poured the putrid liquid onto the vehicle.

Well that definitely wasn't good.

Stealing another look around, he spotted a figure outside of the car, near the back, but the sound of the gas hitting the metal of the car was nearly deafening, and if that wasn't enough to muffle his hearing, the pounding of his heart in his head would be enough to drive any sane person mad.

"Hey! Hey, what are you doing?" He paused and gave the person an opportunity to answer, when he heard nothing, his panic kicked up a notch. "Listen. Listen to me! I'm a deputy with the Beacon Hills Sheriff's Department."

The figure stopped outside of the passenger's side of the car and bent over to peer inside. Jordan whipped his head to the side to get a better look and at the sight of his own partner, he widened his eyes in pure shock.

This wasn't possible, there was no way that Deputy Haigh wanted to hurt him? Unless…maybe he was certifiably crazy, insane beyond anyone he had ever encountered. Maybe there was something the man wanted that Jordan had, something valuable, something that Haigh could get, like the attention of a certain blonde nurse that spent her nights curled up next to Jordan himself.

He had seen people kill for much, much less.

Haigh had seemed to make Ryan extremely uncomfortable, it wasn't impossible for him to have gone off the deep end simply because she had rejected him.

Again, Jordan had seen murders that were the result of much less.

"Damn. I was hoping you'd be out longer." Haigh remarked with an almost nonchalant attitude about what he was doing. Had that been what happened, had Haigh knocked him out when he wasn't paying any attention? Had his partner waited for the second that Jordan wasn't paying any attention before striking him, rendering him unconscious?

Had he then driven them to wherever they were currently and used zip ties to secure his hands to the wheel and then proceed to douse him with gas, which was very flammable? Was that what was going to happen, was he really going to burn him alive?

Okay, so maybe his partner _was_ certifiably insane, that didn't mean that his situation was any less dire. Crazy people were sometimes desperate people, which is precisely what Jordan was: desperate. Jordan needed to get out of his cruiser, he needed to try to talk Haigh out of whatever it was he was planning to do.

"Haigh?" He wasn't sure what to do but he knew he had to try _something_ , anything was better than doing nothing. "What the hell? What are you doing?"

"You're a good guy, Parrish," Haigh stated and wandered around the front of the cruiser, continually emptying out the can of gas as he moved, "but the list says you're worth five million dollars."

"What?" Jordan's eyes widened in sheer terror as more and more gasoline dripped down the windshield.

Five million dollars? Was that really what Haigh had said? His partner was willing to kill him for five million dollars, was his life really worth less than a large sum of money?

It was clear now that Haigh was beyond reasoning, money had a funny way of getting people to do insane things, but Jordan had to keep trying. He didn't want Ryan and Kylie to have to find out that he had been killed in such a brutal way, not after vowing that he wasn't going to leave her and certainly not without putting up a fight. He needed to make them understand that he wasn't going to accept his fate of death, he'd do anything that he could think of to get back to his girls.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Haigh, listen I mean, I barely make forty thousand a year." Jordan was begging, pleading with the crazed man that had once been his partner, his backup, his support when he needed it. There was a lack of recognition in the man's eyes and his pupils seemed to disappear into his irises, making his eyes look like empty black holes.

"I only make thirty-six." Haigh countered and stopped walking right in front of the driver's side headlight. Jordan winced at the man's tone and immediately regretted trying to bargain his way out of this. Haigh had come too far to turn back now, and even if there was a chance, Jordan knew that there was no way Haigh could reasonably explain what he was doing.

Haigh held the gas can at waist level, drew back his arms and jerked them forward, letting the gasoline douse Jordan through the open window. He let out a cry of objection and tried his best to avoid his partner's attack but it was no use, not with his hands zip tied to the steering wheel, keeping him securely inside.

As more and more gas soaked into his clothes and coated his skin, Jordan knew that he had to try a different tactic, he had to do something else. The potent liquid splattered inside the cruiser and dripped down his skin, a shiver running down his spine at the tickling feeling. Maybe if he could distract Haigh then it would buy him enough time for someone to notice, maybe someone would drive by or maybe one of the other deputies would try to contact him and realize that something was wrong when Jordan didn't answer right away.

There had to be a way out of this, there just had to be.

"Haigh, please! Just stop!" Jordan's chest was heaving and his fellow deputy ceased his movements, the gas no longer splashing on him or the car. "You don't have to do this. Look, if you're having money problems-"

"You're worth five million dead, Parrish, sounds like you got the problem." Haigh cut him off and wandered back around the front of the cruiser, effectively losing sight of Jordan as he moved. Jordan couldn't imagine what was running through his head, how could anyone light another human being on fire and just walk away as though it was no big deal.

How could his very partner set him alight and live with himself, knowing what he had done?

"Is this about Ryan?" Jordan threw out and even though he had no intention of letting him get near her, he knew that it'd maybe buy him a few seconds. Haigh wasn't the type of person who just let someone else go, especially not when it was clear he was _very_ interested in getting to know Ryan on a more physical level.

"Not in the slightest." Haigh shot back.

"You can…I'll back off, even talk to her for you." Jordan pleaded and an image of Ryan and Kylie flooded his mind. "Just tell me what you want."

"I want you dead, I thought that was clear what with the gas and all."

"Please! I can…I can help you. I can get Ryan-"

"It's sweet that with your last few minutes on this earth you're trying to play your last card but I'll tell you this, it'll be too easy for me to move in on that pretty little nurse when you're gone, and with the added bonus of not having to fight you for her." Haigh snarled and Jordan let out a whimper, praying to god that whatever was about to happen could be postponed long enough for him to get out, unharmed.

He just wanted to go home, he wanted to see Ryan, and Kylie, and tell them how much he loved them. He did, he loved them both so much and if he could just get the chance to tell them, if he could look Ryan in the eye and tell her that he was so in love with her it hurt, then he'd feel okay with his life, he'd feel like he had done something great.

The idea of Ryan and Kylie losing him so viciously, just like they had lost Cole, broke his heart and Jordan could only try one last time to get out of the cruiser. If he could just break Haigh.

"Please, please, don't do this. You're just going to stand there? You're just going to listen to a fellow deputy burn to death?" With that, Haigh produced a set of headphones and Jordan narrowed his eyes in on his former partner in disbelief.

Jordan threw his body backwards into the seat and he pulled on the steering wheel with everything he had. He had heard the stories about the mothers who had lifted cars off the ground to save their children, if he could just channel that strength, if he could get the adrenaline on his side then maybe he could break free. If he could get the steering wheel to pull away from the dash then maybe he stood a chance.

With a few more violent body thrashes, he stopped and turned his attention towards Haigh, who had his phone in one hand connected to his head phones and a silver lighter in the other hand, a look of sheer confidence on his face.

Haigh's thumb ran down the lighter and the small flame flickered to life.

Before he could toss the lighter, Jordan made one last, desperate plea, "Haigh, wait no, wait! Wait!"

He didn't know where his body ended and the flames began, the heat searing his skin to an unbearable burst of pain. His distressed cries echoed into the night and before he felt his eyes fall shut from the sheer despair, he tried to picture Ryan one last time, hoping that he could conjure up her image to provide him with one happy thought before death tore him away.

She would never know how he really, truly felt about her, and with that fleeting thought, he accepted the fire engulfing him, the temperature rising to figures that would match the depths of hell. Jordan was going to lose Ryan, he was going to lose Kylie, but most importantly, he was going to lose his life.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Jordan wasn't sure what the hell had happened and part of him wondered if he had, in fact, died, but there was something about where he woke up that screamed something wasn't right. He should've been dead, very much so, but when he looked around at the burnt out cruiser, he knew that he hadn't let death take him, he just wasn't sure why not.

His vision was blurry, his eyes sore from the smoke, not to mention the fire. When he tried to pull his hands off the steering wheel, they moved easily, the plastic zip ties had clearly melted in the high temperatures of the inferno that he had been a part of, which only nagged at Jordan more. If he had been completely engulfed in flames, how _had_ he survived?

Tipping his head back, he sucked in a breath of air and felt the searing pain in his lungs. Apparently he hadn't made it out of the fire completely unscathed, every move he made, even taking in a breath of fresh air, hurt him in ways that he had never experienced.

While he did consider himself lucky, he also knew that something wasn't right, there would certainly be consequences to him cheating death, and that was something he wasn't looking forward to. For now though, he'd accept his current fate and push forward.

Lifting an aching arm upwards, he ran his hand through his hair, his fingers ghosting over his scalp as they searched for injury, but the weirdest part of his motion had been the fact that he could feel hair. Now that was definitely something that should've burned away first. When he ran his hand forward and prodded gently at the skin on his face, he sucked in a breath.

The flesh should've been marred, scarred, melted even but with each and every touch he found only flawless skin. Jordan shook his head and tried to figure out what the hell had happened to him. He _had_ been set alight, that much he knew for sure, but was there a reasonable explanation as to why he hadn't succumbed to death?

"I got to get out of here." Jordan muttered to himself and twisted his body to the side so that he was facing the driver's side door. He caught his reflection in a piece of the side mirror and gasped at the sight.

Okay so maybe his skin wasn't totally flawless, he was covered in black; ash he assumed but he wasn't sure. If that was the case, why wasn't he more injured?

Using all of his remaining strength, he pushed on the door and forced it open, holding himself upright as the car creaked and groaned from the pressure. Without hesitating for another second, Jordan launched himself out of the cruiser and landed on his side on the pavement below.

He could feel the rough asphalt scraping against his skin and that's when he looked down at the rest of his body, which was barely illuminated by the dim light in the parking lot.

What the hell happened in the cruiser that would've caused his clothes to burn away to nothing but leave him nearly untouched? With a quick look over of his lower body, he sucked in another deep breath and fumbled his way to his feet. Well this was certainly one for Ryan's 'bizarre' list.

Ryan! He had totally forgotten about her up until this point and now, now he knew that he had to get a hold of her, he had to make sure that she was untouched. Haigh had lit him on fire, what was stopping him from going right after her?

Suddenly it hit him and a small smirk broke out on his face: Haigh was scheduled to work that night and since the sun was still hidden behind the horizon, Jordan knew that his shift wasn't even close to being over. First stop on his list was the sheriff's station, and if Haigh wasn't there, then at the very least, maybe he'd be able to grab some clothes.

Someone was going to pay and Jordan wasn't going to stop until he got his hands on his _former_ partner.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

The fury, the absolute anger running through his body was fueling his own fire deep within him now and at the sight of the front doors to the sheriff's station within his view, Jordan wasn't going to stop, not until he laid his hands on Haigh, who deserved a beat down at the very least.

He pushed forward and locked his eyes on the doors, picking up his pace. He wanted Haigh, he wanted to wrap his hands around his neck and squeeze the life out of the man who had lit him on fire without so much as a second thought. If he was going to leave his fellow deputy to die then Haigh was in for a rude awakening. Jordan wasn't going to be wasting his second chance, not at all.

Jordan moved his hands out in front of him and prepared himself to push the doors open. When he got near enough, his palms met the metal rail across the double doors and he pushed, the doors opening effortlessly in front of him. Jordan barely skipped a beat though, he continued to walk forward, his eyes locked dead ahead as he sought out his target.

He rounded the corner and saw nothing but darkness. Whoever was at the station working was doing it with the lights off, but Jordan was undeterred. He was a man on a mission and nothing was going to stop him now, not until he had some sort of answers.

He turned another corner and his eyes immediately landed on his former partner, the man who had so easily doused him with gasoline and threw a lighter at him. Haigh was working away at his desk, his lamp on in the corner of his desk and Jordan waited patiently, his eyes boring into the side of the man's skull.

It was only a few seconds later that Haigh turned to face Jordan's direction and the look on the deputy's face was that of sheer shock. Apparently Jordan wasn't the only one who was surprised to still be alive, but then again, Haigh had believed he had killed him; how wrong he had been.

"Holy." Haigh muttered at the sight of him and his hand instantly went to his hip where his gun was holstered. Jordan simply watched, anger coursing through his veins, as his former partner scrambled to protect himself.

It was no use though, whether Haigh hadn't been fast enough or his gun had gotten stuck in the holster, it was just enough time for Jordan to strike and strike he did. He launched himself at Haigh and made a move to try and wrap his hands around his neck. The gun was free and it came up between them but Jordan was quicker, managing to get it pointed to the side before Haigh pulled the trigger.

Shots were fired and Jordan knew that he had to end the melee; he had to get the gun out of the equation lest someone else get hurt. He pushed Haigh back, his shoulders colliding with the wall behind him and he looked right into his eyes.

"You're dead." Haigh remarked, his eyes wide, reeling from the shock of seeing Jordan alive again.

Haigh used the wall behind him and lurched forward, sending both of them flying to the floor. It didn't matter though, the sheer adrenaline that Jordan had was enough to keep him going and without hesitating for a second, he managed to get himself on top, straddling Haigh and keeping him pinned to the floor.

"Hey. Hey!" The sheriff's voice sounded far off and Jordan wasn't going to let anyone interfere, not until he got his licks in.

Jordan wound his arm back and leveled a huge hit on Haigh, the gun in his hand firing off to the side, screams erupting from the same direction but Jordan kept going.

"But you're dead!" Haigh ground the words out but Jordan wound up again and brought his fist down on the man's face so hard that his head whipped to the side. One more hit, then two more, he kept throwing punches at the man who had tried to kill him, but Haigh was no longer fighting back.

When blood oozed out of Haigh's facial features and he wasn't moving any more, Jordan leaned back and inhaled a deep breath, looking down at the mess he had done to the deputy's face.

His chest was heaving, his heart pounding and Jordan knew that if he didn't stop, he'd kill Haigh and he still needed more answers, he needed the man below him to know that he had messed with the wrong person.

"Hey!" The sheriff called out one more time and Jordan's attention was immediately on his boss. He clambered to his feet and stood over the unconscious Haigh, looking at the sheriff as he too managed to get to his feet. Stiles and Lydia were in his office with him and for the first time since he had entered the station, he was very keenly aware of the people looking at him, in all of his naked glory.

"He tried to kill me!" Jordan yelled back and rolled his shoulders back. "He lit me on fire!"

"He did what?" Stiles was the next to speak and Jordan hadn't been expecting the teenager to say anything. This was a personal matter now, Stiles didn't need to get involved. "First thing's first, you need clothes."

"I need a phone." Jordan growled and locked his eyes on his own desk, his phone sitting on the corner.

Ignoring everyone else, he rushed towards it and grabbed the handset but before he could make a call, Stiles and Lydia were standing in front of him, Stiles offering him a jacket while Lydia just looked at him, a pleading look in her eyes.

"Hear us out." She said softly and Jordan nabbed the jacket from Stiles' hand, promptly putting it on. It was long enough to cover _most_ of his private area but it still left him feeling way too exposed. He needed to get home, he needed to get to Ryan.

"He strapped me to the steering wheel of my cruiser, poured gasoline on me and then lit me on _fire_." Jordan explained, an edge to his tone that both teenagers picked up easily. "Unless you have an explanation-"

"You need to come with me, I can take you to someone who might know more." Lydia cut him off and stood firm in front of him. Stiles was nodding along with her but when he glanced back to his dad, Jordan's heart broke. The man was clutching his arm, blood running out of a bullet hole that he had suffered in the exchange.

"I need to go home." Jordan ground the words out and moved away from the desk, heading for the rack of spare keys tucked away in the corner. He wasn't about to just walk home, no, he needed to get to Ryan and he needed to get there fast.

"Okay, fair enough, but I think we can help you." Stiles pointed out and ran a nervous hand through his hair. "Can you meet Lydia somewhere, I can give you the address, then you can uh, you can go home, clean yourself up and maybe we can answer some of your questions."

Jordan looked from Lydia to Stiles and then to the sheriff, who gave him a firm nod of encouragement. Whatever these two were trying to do to help him, apparently the sheriff approved.

"Fine." Jordan scoffed and watched as Stiles frantically jotted down an address on a piece of paper that had been lying on the corner of Jordan's desk. "Give me some time."

"Absolutely." Lydia nodded her head and averted her gaze, looking down at the floor beside her. Jordan took the piece of paper with the address on it and furrowed his brows at the sight.

"Derek Hale." Stiles stated, as though with one name, Jordan would know everything. "He's a bit of an expert in-"

"People surviving being burned alive?" Jordan cut in and shook his head. Was he really about to turn down a potential explanation though? If Derek Hale had the answers, if the man in question could help him, then who was he to blow off the teenagers, even if he _was_ extremely skeptical.

"Amoung other things." Lydia murmured and stepped away from them. Stiles looked at Jordan for a few more seconds before turning back to his dad, heading in the sheriff's direction.

Jordan held the address in his hand, nabbed a set of keys to Haigh's cruiser and took off for the front door. He couldn't get to Ryan fast enough.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _AH YEAH! The much anticipated burning live scene! Now that it's been published, how did you guys like it?_**

 ** _Thank you again to my ever appreciated reviewers A and poorxbrokexcollegexkid!_**

 ** _A: Oh yes, Kylie's got him wrapped around her finger, he'd totally do anything for her. Stiles babysitting Kylie, hey, that's not a bad idea! Jordan and Ryan reacting to Theo, well, let's just say that Ryan's not really comfortable with Theo in the picture._**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: That would be pretty awesome! Derek, Jordan, Scott and Stiles as pretty princesses at her tea party, I really, really like that haha_**

 ** _sarahmichellegellarfan1: thank you so much for your recent reviews of earlier chapters! I hope you continued to read and enjoy!_**

 ** _Can I please get some more reviews, I'd love to know what you guys like or don't like, or what you're looking forward to or if you have any more ideas/suggestions for season 5. Please just let me know_**


	34. Chapter 34

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 34:_**

Ryan hadn't been expecting her dad to drop by but that's exactly who had showed up minutes before she had put Kylie to bed, in fact, Kylie had been excited to see her grandpa, who wasn't around as much since Ryan and Jordan had started to see each other.

It wasn't that Ryan was trying to get away from her dad, it was just that she wanted to spend time with Jordan and any time Ken had been there with the two of them, she knew that it had to be a little awkward for her dad to watch her and Jordan touch and kiss each other, which only meant that Kylie was the one who was really suffering from not seeing her grandpa. She might've even thought she was doing Ken a favour by letting him off the hook, after all, with Jordan moving in, it would provide her old man to have even more time for himself, something he hadn't had too much of since Cole had been taken away from them all those months ago.

The two of them, father and daughter, sat next to each other at the kitchen table, a mug of tea in Ken's grasp and a mug of hot chocolate in front of Ryan. She hadn't wanted her dad to leave just yet, catching up with him while Jordan was at work seemed like the best thing to happen to her since Jordan had accepted the invite to move in with them.

"You and Ky-pie seem to be doing all right with the deputy." Ken remarked with a knowing grin on his face and Ryan felt her cheeks flushing at his words. It was bad enough getting teased by Melissa McCall at work, now here she was being teased by her own father in her kitchen, yes sometimes life wasn't fair. But Ken would argue that that's what fathers were for, to tease you at any appropriate opportunity.

"Yeah," Ryan mumbled her response, "he babysat Kylie the other day."

"By himself?" Ken's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"Yes, he took her to his place and then when I got back home, the two of them were up in Kylie's room playing pretty princess tea party." Ryan told him, a smile taking up residence on her face. Without hesitation, she dug her hand into the pocket on her jeans and pulled out her cell phone.

Ken watched her fingers work as she pushed a button here and there and swiped her fingers across the screen, finally settling on whatever it was she wanted to show him. When she turned the screen for him to see, he choked back a laugh at the sight of the very same Deputy Jordan Parrish that he had spoken to a few times, only this time he was wearing a tiara, a feather boa and make-up. Oh yes, pretty princess tea party was definitely a game that Ken himself wasn't missing.

"You can use that for so many things." Ken smiled. "Just remember that picture when you need him to do something for you that he doesn't really want to do."

"Like blackmail?" Ryan scrunched up her nose at the thought but the more she let the idea marinate, the more her nose smoothed out and her lips turned upwards into a smile.

"You don't have to actually _do anything_ with it, you just have to be convincing when it comes to the threat." Ken explained and reached out, taking the phone in his hand and looking at the picture in detail. "If he's willing to play tea party with Kylie, he's definitely got my approval."

"Dad, I thought he had your approval from the start?" Ryan tilted her head to the side and Ken dropped his gaze to the table, shaking his own head in amusement.

"I just want you to be happy, he seems to be putting a smile on your face. Whatever you choose, so long as neither you nor Kylie are getting hurt, is fine by me."

Ryan took her bottom lip in between her teeth and nodded her head. While she knew that her father rather liked her being with Jordan, it was still nice to hear him say that he approved. It would seem that her dad had a little bit of faith in her after all, maybe Ryan deserved more credit than she thought she did. She had done all right so far in life, Kylie, who was a happy little girl, was proof of that.

"Thanks."

Ken made a move to lean closer to her but at the sound of the front door bursting open, the two of them straightened up and turned to face the entryway to the kitchen. Ken glanced to the side at his daughter and slowly rose up to his feet, preparing himself to get in front of Ryan if whatever had made the sound was some sort of threat.

Creeping towards the opening, Ken kept his eyes trained on the hallway, his hands up and ready in front of him. If this was someone who was here to hurt them, he wasn't going to let them in without a fight.

"Ryan?!"

Ken lowered his arms at the deputy's voice calling out to his daughter and even Ryan visibly relaxed. Whatever had caused him to make a brash and rude entry like the one he just had was something that concerned the two of them.

Ryan jumped to her feet and rushed forward, her dad trailing along behind her as the two of them stepped out into the hall and locked their eyes on a blackened Jordan Parrish.

She looked him over from head to toe and furrowed her eyebrows together at the sight. He was naked, bare skin everywhere except for the deputy's jacket that adorned his top half. Ken gently brushed Ryan aside and headed right for the living room, when he reappeared seconds later, he handed Jordan the blanket that he had retrieved from the other room.

"Please Deputy, my daughter might like to see _that_ but I'm quite content-"

"Dad!" Ryan barked and gave him a shove back towards the kitchen. Jordan nabbed the blanket out of the older man's grasp and quickly wrapped it around him, covering up most of his bare skin. Ken took a few steps towards the kitchen but paused in the opening, leaning against the wall.

"What happened to you son?" Ken's voice broke the uncomfortable silence that had fallen over the trio. Ryan continued to stare wide eyed at the nearly naked deputy in her front hallway, clearly speechless at the sight of her ash covered lover.

"That's…a little difficult to explain." Jordan hesitated with the words but managed to get them out rather clearly. "Haigh-"

"Haigh did this to you?" Ryan seemed to find her voice and with her question, she took a step towards Jordan, reaching a hand out and resting her palm against his cheek. "Why?"

"Can I maybe take a shower, and then try explaining this to you?" Jordan lowered his voice and stole a quick look at Ken, who was still standing behind them. "And actually, I have to go meet some people after that."

"People?" Ryan seemed utterly confused and Jordan couldn't exactly blame her.

He hadn't explained to her what really happened, he hadn't told her that he had been knocked out, tied to his car and then set on fire, and now here he was standing in the front hall, covered in ash, a spare jacket and a blanket and the best he could say was that he had to 'go meet some people'. Yes, Ryan deserved to know more but right now, there were more pressing matters that he needed to get to.

"I have something I need to say to you." Jordan murmured and lifted his hands up, setting his palms on the sides of her jaw and making sure that she was looking into his eyes. She let her own hand fall away from his face, crossing her arms over her chest instead.

"Maybe you can start with-"

"I love you Ryan, I love you so much." Jordan cut her off and she gaped at him, clearly at a loss for words. "I love you with everything that I am."

"I love you too." She said softly and dropped her gaze down to the floor, looking at their feet. She ignored the 'aw' sounding out from behind her but the retreating footsteps clearly meant that Ken had taken his cue to exit.

"Something happened tonight, to me, and I just…it made me realize that you don't really know how I feel about you. I love you and I'm never going to stop saying it Ryan."

"Good." She nodded her head and brought her eyes back up to meet his, tears welling up and blurring her vision. Ryan stepped forward and relaxed against his chest, his hands moving away from her jaw and down, over her shoulders, stopping at her lower back as he held her tight against him. "I love you too."

Jordan rested his chin on the top of her head and let his eyes fall shut, basking in the feeling of her in his arms. This was exactly what he wanted, albeit, he would've preferred to be wearing clothes, but this was the exact moment that he wanted and now that he had confessed his feelings, he knew that things were going to change.

First of all, he needed to tell her what had happened to him, he needed to explain to her that Haigh had tried to kill him, all because his name was on some hit list. Then he needed to confess to her that he was going to see Derek Hale as per Stiles' request. Part of him was hoping that she'd insist on coming with him, this was something that he wanted her to share with him and maybe he needed to know that she was okay, maybe he needed to keep her as close to him as possible, but who could blame him. He _had_ just been lit on fire and survived.

"Would you like to come and have a shower with me, I'll try to explain what happened to me tonight." Jordan offered, his voice low and soft.

"If you make it a bath, I'm in. Just let me tell my dad to stick around, you said you had to go meet some people, maybe I should…"

"I have to go to Derek Hale's loft, apparently he might be able to help me."

"Derek Hale…help you with what?"

"Come on, let's go have a bath, I'll tell you all about it."

Ryan lifted her hand up and signaled that she'd need just a minute, then she pulled away from him and disappeared into the kitchen. Jordan listened in as she talked to her father in a hushed tone, but he caught the gist of it, she wanted Ken to stay in the house for a little while, especially if she was maybe going to be heading out with Jordan in a little bit.

Jordan sucked in a deep breath and held it, waiting patiently in the hallway and when Ryan reappeared with a small smile on her face, he tried to smile back at her, but there was something in her eye that was bothering him. She looked sad almost and maybe it was because she didn't know what was going on with Jordan, maybe having her father back in the house to stay with Kylie reminded her of how it used to be before he had showed up. Maybe it was a combination of both, but either way, Jordan had more pressing matters, he still needed to tell her about what had happened.

She grabbed hold of his hand and tugged on his arm, heading for the stairs and pulling him along behind her. Jordan let the blanket fall away from him when they reached the second floor, which prompted him to unzip the jacket that he had borrowed from the sheriff's station.

Jordan stopped walking though and gently slipped his hand out of Ryan's grasp. She remained silent and watched him as he wandered over towards Kylie's closed bedroom door and set his hand on the knob. Ryan wasn't going to object to him opening the door, she just hoped that he didn't wake her up, getting Kylie to bed earlier had been hard enough and she didn't want to go through that again, especially if there were things that Jordan needed to explain to her, things like why he was covered in ash and why he was naked.

He turned the knob and opened the door a few inches, poking his head into the small opening and looking at the little girl who was softly snoring in her bed. She didn't move as he watched her, except for the gentle rise and fall of her chest. He couldn't help but smile at the sight of Kylie sleeping soundly in her room, oblivious to everything going on around her.

One day, when she was old enough, maybe he'd tell her what happened to him, how his partner turned on him and tried to end his life for a payout, but for now, he'd leave her in her little world of ignorant bliss. She knew about bad things happening, she was aware that her real father had been taken from her, wasn't that enough?

Jordan retreated and pulled the door shut with him, letting Kylie remain sleeping. As much as he wanted to wake her up and just hug her to make sure that she knew he cared about her, he knew that he still had to explain to Ryan what had happened.

"Come on." Ryan urged him, her tone soft and laced with fear. Whatever he was doing was starting to concern her and he couldn't exactly blame her. He was acting slightly out of character, but he had good reason.

Jordan peeled the jacket off and walked next to her, the two of them stepping into the bathroom where Ryan stepped ahead of him and turned on the hot water. He looked at her, watching her as she leaned over the edge of the tub, grabbing hold of a loofa resting on the opposite side.

"Rinse off first, then you won't stain my tub." She said from her bent over position, but once she had a firm hold of the loofa, she straightened up and offered it to him.

"How are you not asking me a billion questions right now?" He asked and tilted his head to the side, taking the loofa in his hand.

"I have a three-year-old, I know how to be patient." Ryan pointed out and leaned down, resting her bum against the edge of the tub. "Get in, rinse off, then I'll join you."

Jordan gave her a nod and stepped into the tub, bending down and coating the loofa in water before running it over his chest, the water in the tub turning black. It was a good thing that she hadn't put the plug in. He ran the loofa over his skin a few more times and when he wasn't paying attention, Ryan began wiping off his back, clearing off his shoulders and neck.

Together, the two of them worked away at rinsing off his skin, Jordan taking care of his more intimate parts while Ryan helped him out by getting to the places that he wouldn't be able to reach very well. After a few minutes, the water in the tub turned completely black, they stopped, Ryan turned the off the water and let the darkened liquid run down the drain.

He turned to face her and his eyes flickered down to her lips. Ryan leaned forward and Jordan held her hips, steadying her as they moved closer to each other, his lips meeting hers in a firm, fiery kiss. When he pulled away, his hands immediately went for the bottom hem of her shirt and he lifted it upwards. He tossed her shirt to the floor while she made quick work of her bra, then her bottoms, before stepping into the tub with him. He smiled at her and turned the faucet back on, this time taking more care and making it the right temperature, then he put the plug in.

Ryan nabbed the bubble bath off the edge and poured a bit into the water, watching as bubbles erupted from where the running water met the water in the tub. He encircled his arms around her waist and guided her down, the two of them sitting in the rising water, settling in against each other. She ran her fingers through his hair, more ash falling away from his skin.

"Tell me what happened?" She asked in a murmur.

"You're not going to like it." He said right back to her, his tone matching hers.

Ryan looked up at him and met his eyes, searching for any hint that she should worry over what he was going to be telling her. He shut his eyes and inhaled a deep breath, the scent of the bubble bath filling his nostrils and relaxing him, unfortunately though, Ryan seemed to tense as his grip on her waist tightened.

"I need to know."

"Let me start by telling you that my cruiser was set on fire." Jordan whispered and Ryan narrowed her eyes in on him. "With me in it."

"No." She shot back and leaned away from him, but Jordan held her tight, forcing her to stay next to him and listen. She needed to know the whole story before she jumped to conclusions. "You…you're fine though, how is that possible?"

"Honestly, I have no idea. All I know is that one second I'm with Haigh and we're on our way to check on something and the next minute I wake up, strapped to the steering wheel of my cruiser and there's Haigh, outside the car, pouring gasoline on me."

"Haigh did that…to you?" Her tone was eerily calm and Jordan was more afraid now than he had been seconds ago. "But you're alive, you wouldn't be alive if you were set on fire."

"I was, I swear. I felt the heat searing my skin, hell Ryan, my clothes burned away to nothing, that's why I was only wearing a jacket when I came home."

"And…and you expect me…Jordan what the hell?"

He gripped her tighter and she reluctantly settled her head down on his shoulder. He ran his hand through her hair in a lame attempt to comfort her but she just seemed to tense with each and every graze of his fingers on her scalp.

"My name is on a dead pool, Haigh thought that by killing me, he'd get a lot of money."

"Jordan-"

"I'm worth five million, but only if I'm dead.

Ryan merely stared at him, trying to understand what the hell he was telling her. There was no physical way that he would be alive if he had been set on fire. Sure there were a lot of bizarre and weird things that happened in Beacon Hills but someone surviving being burned alive with the result of only losing their clothes to the flames, that was impossible…wasn't it?

"So Haigh lit you on fire." She echoed his words, more so that she could try and understand what he was saying to her. "In your cruiser?"

"Yes."

"Then how are you alive?" She breathed. "Jordan…you…you shouldn't be alive if that's what really happened."

"You don't have to tell me that." He countered. "Think about it though Ry, there's so many weird things that go on in this town, you've seen them happen before-"

"Okay but weird ninjas attacking the hospital are significantly different than being set on fire and somehow managing to survive."

Jordan remained silent and didn't say anything to her. She had a valid point but that didn't change what had happened to him, he had been burned, his skin had been seared, yet somehow he had made it out alive, which gave him the opportunity to tell her how he really felt about her. Ryan was the girl for him, he loved her, with everything, and maybe he didn't understand what had happened or how he had made it out of the inferno alive, but he wasn't going to question it now.

"You have a point and honestly, I don't know how to explain it to you, I don't even understand it myself. Trust me, I'm aware that I shouldn't be alive right now but I am, so maybe we can make the most of it?"

Ryan let out a sigh and curled up against him, her hand coming up and resting on his chest, directly over his heart.

"I love you." She murmured.

"I love you too." He responded. "Maybe Derek has answers."

"Maybe, I'm coming with you to see him." Ryan added softly. "You're not going to see him alone."

"I know. I don't really want to let you out of my sight right now." Jordan whispered. "All I could think about when I was about to be…well, all I could think about was you and how I never got to tell you how I felt about you. I don't want to lose you."

"I don't want to lose you either." She mumbled. "You're the best thing to happen to me since Cole- since Cole was taken from us."

"I promised you a little while ago that I wasn't going anywhere, I'm not going to leave you, not without a hell of a fight."

"Haigh…" Ryan grumbled and snarled at the mentioning of the man's name. "I can't believe he did that to you."

"I got him back, when I left the station, he was laying on the floor, unconscious."

"What did you do?"

"I went after him, I knocked him out. Ryan, he set me on fire, I should've killed him-"

"Don't say that." She cut him off and looked away from him, reaching her hand out and stopping the flow of water. "Maybe he deserved it, maybe he didn't, those are things that I don't need to hear. Haigh's an asshole, he's _always_ been an asshole, and he doesn't need to be brought up, not to me, he's not worth it. You're a better man than him, hands down."

Jordan nuzzled his nose against the side of her neck and inhaled her scent. He let the feeling of her body in his hold relax him and whether or not he should've survived his horrific ordeal, all he really cared about was making the most of his second chance. He wanted to be there, for Ryan, for Kylie, he wanted to keep them safe, now if he could just figure out what the hell happened, why had he managed to survive what he did, then maybe he'd be better prepared later.

Ryan was most important right now, she needed to know that he loved her, that he wasn't going anywhere. She was the light in his life, the sun in his sky, the one thing that he'd protect, even if meant sacrificing himself. She was worth it, she was all he wanted, and he wasn't going to let her get too far away from him, at least not until he calmed himself down.

"I'll ask my dad to stay here with Kylie then, so you and I can go see Derek." She offered.

"If you're sure?"

"I'm not really sure of anything anymore Jordan, but if he has answers, even if they're not exactly what we're looking for, then we have to take a chance."

"You're right." Jordan remarked and pressed a kiss to the side of her neck. "Do me a favour for now though?"

"What's that?" She brought her eyes back to meet his and he smiled, his gorgeous, heart stopping smile. She was a goner, this was the man she wanted, the _only_ man she wanted. Sadness had flooded her veins when she had lost Cole but now there was someone new, someone that she could trust, someone that Kylie could trust and at that moment, there wasn't much of anything that she wouldn't do for him.

"Let me make love to you."

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _And now Ryan's starting to get introduced to the world of the supernatural, how are you guys enjoying this?_**

 ** _Thank you again to my ever appreciated reviewers A and poorxbrokexcollegexkid, and now sarahmichellegellarfan1!_**

 ** _A: Hmm, well, here's a glimpse into the beginning of Ryan's introduction to the supernatural, I hope you liked it as well! Derek gets to meet with Jordan AND Ryan, woo! As for your season 5 request, I'm trying to change the relationship enough so that it's not like the show completely but there's definitely still some Jordan/Lydia moments (although hopefully not as in your face) because hey, it's not all easy for Ryan and Jordan :P_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Ryan and Jordan definitely have a rocky road ahead of them, it won't be easy. Thanks so much for the review_**

 ** _sarahmichellegellarfan1: I hope it was worth the wait! Thanks so much for all of your fantastic reviews!_**

 ** _Can I please get some more lovely reviews, I'd love to know what you guys like or don't like, or what you're looking forward to or if you have any more ideas/suggestions for season 5., I'm currently in the process of writing 5A and if there's something you think you'd like to see, I'd love to hear it! Please just let me know_**


	35. Chapter 35

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 35:_**

Jordan and Ryan had arrived at the loft right on time, Ryan clinging to his hand like it was her lifeline, and if he was honest, he liked how hard she squeezed his hand in hers. It was a reminder that he had almost died, she had almost lost him, and with that, he had confessed to loving her. Following Lydia up the stairs to Derek's loft, they hung back and waited as she hauled the door open and stepped inside.

Jordan waved Ryan through the door and she reluctantly let go of his hand as she moved closer to where Derek stood, Scott McCall not far from them either. Ryan tossed a smile in Scott's direction, him responding with a fond smile of his own, apparently reminiscing about the times that she had babysat him and Stiles, which had always resulted in less than stellar results.

"Can you tell me why we're here to see _you_?" Ryan asked in a hushed tone and locked her eyes on Derek, who seemed to be watching her closely, studying her movements. If there was something he was looking for, was he going to find it, what did he know that she didn't?

"Maybe we can talk privately and have that 'catch up' conversation we agreed to in the hospital." Derek countered, his tone as low as hers, but there was something in his eyes, something almost like a sparkle. Did Derek know something? Did he have information that would pertain specifically to her?

Jordan stepped between them and Lydia followed his lead, joining Ryan and Derek in the middle of the loft. When Lydia gave Jordan a nod, he lifted up his hands and let Derek take hold of them, studying his digits carefully. Ryan remained quiet and took in the sight in front of her, there was no sense interrupting now, not until someone said _something_.

"He covered you in gasoline?" Derek questioned, Lydia now standing between Derek and Jordan while Ryan kept herself close to him, hovering nearby so that she didn't get forgotten in the group.

"It's the hair and nails, isn't it? The parts of the body that are essentially dead." Lydia pointed nonchalantly, Ryan furrowing her eyebrows at the girl's attitude. Maybe she deserved a bit of a break but maybe she should've taken the fact that Jordan had been lit on fire a little more seriously than she seemed to be. As if Ryan needed another reason to dislike Lydia Martin.

"Well, they should be gone." Derek replied and Jordan lifted his hands up, pressing his fingers against his chest and stealing a look back at Ryan, who was glaring at Lydia. When she caught him looking at her though, she pulled her eyes off the strawberry blonde and shied away from Jordan's piercing gaze.

"I was set on fire; all of me should be gone." Jordan spoke up, peeling his gaze away from Ryan reluctantly. He didn't want to let her out of his sight, if he did, he was afraid he might lose her, like he almost had earlier in the night.

Ryan closed the distance between her and Jordan and pressed her chest against his back, running her hand down his forearm and intertwining her fingers with his in an attempt to soothe his worries. She knew that he had been terrified when he had walked into her house covered in ash but she was fully prepared to remind him that she was still there, they still had each other.

Jordan was in awe of what had really happened to him and he still couldn't entirely wrap his head around what had happened. One second he was pleading for his life, thinking of Ryan and how he hadn't voiced his feelings, the next second he was conscious and unharmed, well, the emotional scars would always linger but physically he was okay and that was what was important.

"Not if you're like us." Scott offered up in a vague attempt to answer some of Jordan's questions.

"Like you?" Jordan asked, turning his head towards Scott, who had just spoken to him. He felt Ryan drop her forehead down to rest against his shoulder and he sucked in a breath; so long as she was touching him, he knew there was nothing to worry about. He could keep her safe, he could protect her if she was with him, and he vowed to do whatever he could to keep bad things from hurting them both.

"I don't think he's like us." Derek shook his head.

"Excuse me?" Ryan piped up but her voice was just barely audible. She was still very rattled from having Jordan burst into her house confessing that he had cheated death. Whatever was going on with him was freaking her out and she wasn't ready to chalk up the whole situation to just a bizarre goings on of Beacon Hills, no, this had hit too close to home and there were people who had answers to share.

Derek looked right at her and gave her a nod, but he didn't say a word. She sucked in a nervous breath and tried to figure out how she wanted to ask what she had playing over and over in her head. When she rehearsed it silently a few times, she realized that she didn't know the best way and instead decided that blunt and to the point would be easier than anything

"What do you mean 'like us'?" Her voice was low and when Scott, who was a few feet away, opened his mouth to reply, she scrunched up her nose and wondered how the hell he had heard her.

"A little more than just human." Derek answered vaguely and Ryan tilted her head to the side, studying him in detail at this point. She tried to find something that stood out on him that wasn't entirely normal but she couldn't, in her eyes, he was just as human as everyone else.

"I'm sorry, what?" She locked her eyes on Derek and watched him carefully. It was when his eyes flickered and turned a vibrant yellow that she gasped at the sight and went rigid against Jordan's back. "What the hell is that?"

"Derek's a werewolf. I'm one too." Scott tossed out and Ryan turned to face him, Jordan moving with her. He had said the word so casually that she wasn't entirely sure she had heard him right. Werewolves weren't real, they were creatures that existed in books and movies, and the occasional television show, but they certainly didn't exist in _real_ life. But then, if Scott wasn't telling her the truth, why would he have said something so out there, so, so unbelievable.

"Werewolf." Ryan echoed the word softly. "Like Taylor Lautner in Twillight?"

"Well not exactly like that-"

"And you're trying to tell me that Jordan here's like you? Like a werewolf?" She cut in and stepped around Jordan, taking a stance next to him and letting out a sigh as his arm came around her shoulders, hugging her close to him.

"No, that's the thing, he's not a werewolf." Derek countered.

"Then what is he?" Lydia questioned, and Ryan found herself thankful, for the first time ever, that Lydia was with them. She wasn't sure how much longer she'd be able to keep calm and be rational.

"Sorry, but I have no idea." Derek answered with a small shrug and looked right to Ryan.

"But you knew about Jackson and Kira." Scott pointed out, drawing everyone's attention back to him. He sounded desperate, as though he was trying to get Derek to consider other options. There had to be something that he knew that might help them figure out what Jordan was, if he wasn't a werewolf.

"Jackson, Jackson Whittemore? He's a werewolf too?" Ryan's eyes widened at the prospect. Was everyone in Beacon Hills, aside from her and her family, something more than human?

"He wasn't always…" Scott let his sentence trail off and Ryan leaned into Jordan's hold, snuggling further against his side.

"So you don't know what _I_ am though?" Jordan spoke up, breaking into the conversation at hand.

"This is a little out of my experience." Derek stated and looked between Ryan and Jordan. "There might be something in the bestiary, did you try Argent?"

"I don't know where he is." Scott responded, making it seem like that was the most natural thing in the world.

"Okay, hold on. What's a bestiary? Actually, that's not even my first question, just…just tell me one thing, are all of you like Lydia? Are you all psychic?" Jordan questioned and glanced around the room at each and every person.

Ryan held her breath and squeezed her eyes shut, willing everything to go away or turn into a hallucination. This wasn't real, none of this was real. Werewolves didn't exist and people didn't just light other people on fire, right? This had to be in her head.

When she opened her eyes though, everyone was still exactly where they had been seconds ago and Jordan was still holding her tight, a faint, lingering smell of charring wafting into her nose.

"Psychic?" Derek spoke first and raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah."

"Not exactly." Scott rocked his head from side to side.

"Okay, then what are you really?" Jordan continued to look directly at Scott and Derek. Ryan could hear it in his voice, he didn't entirely believe them either but when she moved her hand down to grab hold of his, he looked down and met her eyes.

The two of them stared out at Scott, Derek and Lydia but it was Scott who cleared his throat, Scott who had caught their attention and drew them in. His eyes turned to a bright, fiery red, glowing slightly in the dimly lit loft and Ryan lifted her free hand up to cover her mouth.

"Red eyes?" Jordan cocked his head to the side and Scott nodded his head yes. "What's that mean exactly?"

"He's an alpha." Lydia stated.

"Werewolf, like me." Derek threw in and Jordan's gaze flitted away from Scott and landed on Derek. "He's the leader essentially."

"So everyone's a god damn werewolf?" Ryan's voice was commanding and loud and she quickly broke away from Jordan. There was an unsettling look in her eyes and she wasn't entirely sure what she was planning on doing, all she knew was that this was too much, too soon.

There was no way she was supposed to just believe everything they said, they had to know how absolutely crazy they sounded, claiming to be werewolves and changing the colour of their eyes, it was insane, completely maddening, but what other explanation was there, really?

"My bad, everyone except for Jackson, right?" She threw out angrily.

"Well, actually, he's a werewolf too, but he wasn't always." Scott's tone was gentle and she knew that he was trying to keep her calm. She used the same tone when she wanted Kylie to comply and keep a relatively level head in a particular situation, now here was Scott, using it on her. "He started out as a Kanima."

"A what?" Jordan piped up and reached out, taking a step towards Ryan and wrapping his arms around her from behind. She was securely in his grasp, and he wasn't about to let her go any time soon.

"A kanima." Lydia repeated the word, as though that would explain everything. Ryan felt a low growl emanating from her chest and when Derek whipped his head around and looked at her, she knew that he had heard her. Well good!

Jordan shook his head at the wealth of new, and essentially useless, information before ducking his head down and pressing a kiss against the back of Ryan's head. Ryan craned her neck to the side and caught sight of a couch in the corner of the loft. Jordan followed her gaze and spotted the couch too, nudging her towards it and using his hand to motion for the rest of them to follow suit. It wasn't hard to see that Ryan was going to need to sit down and if Jordan was completely honest with himself, he wouldn't mind a soft place to sit and absorb the news information either.

Jordan took a seat in the middle of the cushions and ushered Ryan down next to him, letting her relax against his side, his hold on her never breaking. She peered over at him and let her head drop down to rest against his shoulder, his hand coming up and her fingers running along his jaw.

"Alright, so what's a Kanima?" Jordan seemed to have an endless supply of questions at this point in the night and when Ryan squirmed next to him, he knew that she was uncomfortable with what they had already learned.

"It's a lizard-like shapeshifter." Lydia supplied.

"So how did he go from _that_ to a werewolf?" Ryan asked and let out a frustrated sigh.

"Maybe we should…" Derek started to say something but then he looked over towards Scott, a look on his face that screamed for him to help him out and get the topic away from Kanimas. Ryan filed the word away in her head, vowing to ask Derek about it later, when she had a minute to speak with him privately.

"We'll get back to that. Just know that everyone like us, everyone with some kind of supernatural ability is on the dead pool." Scott cut in, giving Derek exactly what he wanted. He then moved towards the end of the couch and perched on the arm. Derek glanced down at the three of them sitting on the couch but remained standing, as did Lydia, and Ryan found herself wondering where Lydia fit into everything.

"But I don't even know what I am." Jordan argued and looked down at Ryan, who mouthed the words 'dead pool'. She was concerned now, rightly so. If Jordan's name was on some sort of dead pool, that meant that he was potentially still in danger, that prospect wasn't lost on her, not by a long shot, but for now, she'd be quiet and listen, and hopefully get some answers.

"I'm pretty sure they don't care." Derek pointed out, almost as though he was amused by the deputy's predicament.

"How many professional assassins are we talking about?" Jordan seemed to be focused on Derek and Derek alone, which was fine by Ryan. The less he was distracted by her, the less likely it seemed that she'd be getting any sort of relevant information.

"We're starting to lose count." Lydia replied.

"But is it still _just_ professionals?" Scott broke in and a look of concern crossed his features.

"I don't think Haigh's ever tried anything like this. I think he was taking a chance." Jordan stated and Ryan let out a whimper. Haigh, the very same man who had made her uncomfortable at every opportunity, had tried to kill Jordan. Hearing him say the man's name just brought back each and every feeling that she had experienced at the sight of seeing Jordan walk through her front door covered in ash.

Up until this point, she had just been glad that he was alive, that he was there with her, but now it was all coming back to her. Every emotion was working its way through her body.

"That means anyone with the dead pool could take a chance." Derek seemed a little less firm but Ryan had known the man when he was a teenager and Derek Hale, while he could seem harmless, could also be anything but.

"But if Haigh had it, then who else does?" Jordan had brought up yet another decent point. Haigh, a mere deputy, a guy low on the totem pole when it came to killing supernatural creatures, had managed to get a hold of the dead pool. How had that happened? "How easy is it to get this thing now?"

Jordan's name was on a dead pool, a dead pool that his partner had somehow managed to get a hold of. If Haigh could get his hands on it, how easily could someone else get it and what did that mean for Jordan? Well Ryan knew one thing for sure, if more people were aware of Jordan's name on some dead pool, then there were going to be more attempts at killing him, and that was something she wasn't ready to face.

"Meredith knew something." Lydia said softly.

Lydia cocked her head to the side and turned away from everyone in the room. She focused her attention on the giant window in the middle of the loft but cautiously made her way towards the bed, gently lowering herself down on to the end of it.

Ryan simply let out a low sigh and curled up in Jordan's hold, basking in the feeling of him right beside him.

"Meredith was only at my grandmother's lake house once but I think once was enough." Lydia started.

Derek turned his body around to face Lydia, bringing his back against the nearby wooden column, "how did your grandmother know her?"

"She didn't, she found her because of another woman named Maddy; the woman she loved." Lydia let out a soft sigh and stood up, walking towards Scott and offering him an old, worn out photograph. Ryan shied away from Lydia and refused to watch Scott study the picture. If she could avoid looking at it, then maybe she could avoid seeing the contents and keep her own past experiences to herself, at least for the time being. "I never met her, but I saw her name everywhere. She used to be part of a yacht racing team; there were plaques and trophies in the lake house from all the regattas she'd won."

"How did she die?" Jordan broke in; bringing Lydia's attention to him now. He moved away from the couch and took up a stance in the middle of the room, using his one hand to motion Ryan forward.

She reluctantly hauled herself off of the couch and wandered over towards him, immediately wrapping her arms around his bicep and clinging to him, relaxing the slightest bit as Jordan leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss against the side of her head.

"How's not the story, it's what happened right before. My grandmother, Lorraine, used to work in San Francisco for IBM. She was there on a weekend, catching up on work, she started hearing this sound," Lydia paused and made her way towards the window, staring out at the dark night sky, "like rain, but when she looked out the windows, all she saw was blue sky."

"But she kept hearing the rain?" Scott pondered out loud.

"And it just kept getting louder." Lydia turned away from the window but didn't miss a beat. "Rain and thunder cracking like gunshots in her head…so loud. She finally just screamed."

"Like a Banshee." Derek said softly.

"She called Maddy who was planning on taking one of the boats out on the lake, but Maddy said that the sun was shining there too, so Lorraine didn't say anything."

Lydia paused and looked right at Jordan, who was clearly listening intently. Ryan sucked in a breath and let her eyes fall shut, trying desperately to force everything out of her head for a second so that she could make an attempt to understand everything so far.

When Jordan pressed another kiss to her head though, she opened her eyes and looked from him to Lydia.

"There was an accident." Jordan offered calmly.

"It took them four days to find Maddy's body and then it took decades to figure out how Lorraine knew. She started with parapsychologists, like the PhD in their name made it more scientific. They built the study in the lake house according to every pseudoscientific theory they could find. None of it worked." Lydia carried on. "So then she started going to more extreme occult things like mediums and psychics, all of them were failures, until she found Meredith. They found her in Eichen House, this fragile girl who didn't understand the things she heard. They brought her to the study and they almost killed her. She was hospitalized for over a year and she…never really recovered. My grandmother drove her insane. I drove her to suicide. And all she ever wanted to do was help."

Ryan watched as Lydia produced a sheet of paper, her eyes scanning over whatever was written there. She figured it was the dead pool, it had to be, nothing else seemed relevant. When Lydia set the paper on a nearby table, Ryan gently tugged on Jordan's arm and took a step towards it, desperate to see if she was right and if she was right, she wanted to know who else's name was on it.

Jordan let Ryan lead him closer, just close enough so that she could see what was written on it but not so close so that she could reach out and touch it. If she didn't touch it, then maybe she could convince herself that it wasn't real, that none of what was happening in Derek's loft was real.

 _"_ My grandmother created the code for the dead pool. They think she's the banshee who put the names out in the first place. She left me this message in the same code." Lydia droned on.

"But she didn't leave a cipher key, did she?" Scott broke in and Lydia shook her head no.

Derek moved towards Ryan and Jordan and gently set his hand on her shoulder, nodding his head off to the side where the couch had been left vacant. Ryan peeled herself away from Jordan and let Derek guide her over, the two of them taking a seat next to each other on the couch.

She crossed her arms over her chest and blew out a breath, wondering if this was the part where Derek let out a commanding 'just kidding' and told her what was really going on, but when he set his hands on his knees and stared down at his feet, she knew that wasn't what was about to happen.

"You were asking about the kanima earlier…" Derek started talking but his voice lowered with each word he said.

"I'm just a little confused, what with finding out that werewolves are real and all." She shot back and narrowed her eyes in on him. Derek brought his head up and met her gaze, trying to give her a sympathetic look and failing.

"The kanima has a lot to do with what happened at the sheriff's station the night that…that Cole-"

"What?" She cut him off and leaned forward, desperate for anything that he could give her now.

"After we talked, at the hospital, I thought about what you said and I think, maybe, you deserve to know what really happened the night all the deputies were massacred."

"Derek, what are you…what are you saying?"

"Cole was one of the kanima's victims, I'm sorry that you lost him, but you have to understand that he wasn't a target, he was just there."

"The 'wrong place, wrong time' theory?" She asked and refused to blink her eyes, already feeling the tears welling up in them. If she didn't blink, the tears wouldn't escape and she'd maybe, _maybe_ , be able to fight them off until she was out of the loft, whenever that was going to be.

"By my best guess, yes."

"So you're telling me that some 'lizard-like' shape shifter is the reason that my husband, the father of my _child_ is dead? Couldn't you have stopped him?" She demanded an answer and Derek opened his mouth to reply, but no sound came out.

Ryan hadn't exactly noticed everyone else in the loft looking at her but Jordan moved forward, trying to get near her so that he could comfort her. There was a look on her face that screamed she was ready to blow and whether that involved tears of sadness or tears of sheer anger, he wasn't sure and he didn't really want to find out. Nothing would bring Cole back now but at the same time, nothing would make the pain go away.

"Ry-"

"Cole was just collateral damage?" She sucked in a shaky breath and moved her eyes upwards, still desperate to keep the tears at bay until she wasn't sitting in front of Derek Hale. "He died for nothing?"

"I don't know what to tell you." Derek's voice was barely louder than a whisper, but it was loud enough for her to hear him.

She calmly rose up from the couch and stood in front of him, looking down and studying the saddened expression on his face. She could tell that Derek hated hurting her and she knew that he could understand the pain of what she was going through, but that didn't make it any easier on her.

Cole had died for nothing, he had been taken away from her too early, ripped away from Kylie, and for what?

Ryan clenched her jaw shut and turned away from Derek, quickly making her way towards the door to the loft. She approached it and wrapped her hands around the handle, pulling it open just enough for her to slip out into the hallway.

Jordan was hot on her heels and when he was in the hallway too, he turned back and closed the door before rushing over to Ryan and stepping in front of her.

At the sight of him, Ryan collapsed against his chest and let him slip his arm around her shoulders as she let out a gut wrenching sob. All of the emotions that she had managed to keep to herself, all of the pain and anguish she was suffering through day after day, was finally coming to surface and all Jordan could do was try and comfort her. He merely held on to her and let her cry, knowing that her heart had just been broken wide open yet again.

The pain of losing Cole was still fresh in her mind and Jordan wasn't sure what he could do to help her, he wasn't sure she'd be okay, but he was willing to fight for her. He was right there with her at that moment and he wasn't going to let anything hurt her, or Kylie, ever again.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _And now Ryan's starting to get introduced to the world of the supernatural, how are you guys enjoying this? Did you like Derek and Ryan talking too?_**

 ** _Thank you again to my ever appreciated reviewers A and poorxbrokexcollegexkid, and now sarahmichellegellarfan1!_**

 ** _kaylafig: was it as intense as you were expecting it to be? Thank you so much for the review!_**

 ** _A: Now I just picture him trying to cover up what happened to him, what sort of excuse would he come up? How did you like the whole Derek and Ryan interacting?_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: :O thank you lol, that's funny and awesome at the same time! Haigh deserved what was coming to him_**

 ** _Guest: Was this up to snuff with what you were expecting to happen between Derek and Ryan? Thank you so much for the review!_**

 ** _I'd love to know what you guys like or don't like, or what you're looking forward to or if you have any more ideas/suggestions for season 5., I'm currently in the process of writing 5A and if there's something you think you'd like to see, I'd love to hear it! Please just let me know_**


	36. Chapter 36

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 36:_**

Kylie wasn't sure what time it was, nor did she really care, all that mattered was getting into her mother's room and crawling into the bed. Her nightmare had been awful, yet again the wolves had been chasing her, and she needed to know that her mom was okay.

The hallway was dark but the little nightlight plugged in gave her enough light so that she could see her way without running into anything. She approached the door to her mom's bedroom and grabbed the knob, turning it and releasing the door. It flung forward but she had been expecting it, so she had managed to catch it before it collided with the wall, which certainly would've woken everyone in the room up.

Kylie sucked in a breath and stepped inside, moving to where she knew the bed was. When her hand connected with the footboard at the bottom, she moved her other hand out and grabbed the edge of the covers, using it as a guide as she tiptoed up towards the pillows.

"Mommy." Kylie hissed and leaned forward, stopping her feet as she nudged the front of the nightstand with her elbow. "Mommy."

Ryan stirred slightly, which was enough of an invitation for Kylie, and the little girl jumped up, attempting to get herself up onto the bed.

Her hand reached out and grabbed hold of Ryan's arm, which woke up the older woman. Ryan's entire body jerked at the feeling and she reeled backwards, knocking her head against Jordan's chin, which had been resting in her hair. He let out a pained groan and Ryan sat up, flipping the lamp next to the bed on and lighting up the room.

"Kylie?" Ryan tilted her head to the side and studied the sight of her little girl, who was half hanging onto the bed and half standing on the floor. Jordan's arm slipped around Ryan's waist and he made a move to pull her back down so that she was lying against him. They had been spooning before Kylie had made her entry into the bedroom and now Ryan had more pressing matters, she needed to figure out why her little girl was trying to get into her bed with her.

"Another nightmare?" Jordan asked in a muffled voice and Kylie nodded her head yes, her eyes locked with Ryan's.

"What do you mean _another_ nightmare?" Ryan pressed and pushed her hand backwards, connecting with Jordan's t-shirt covered chest and trying to move him back so that she could get some more room for Kylie.

"The other night I tried to come get you but Jordan found me instead." Kylie confessed and reached further onto the bed. Ryan extended her arms down and grabbed the waistband of Kylie's pajama bottoms, when Kylie jumped, she lifted her up and before she could object, Kylie was curling up against her chest.

"You've been having a lot of nightmares lately?" Ryan asked in a low tone and lay down, giving into Jordan's silent request and letting him take her against his chest. "Oh Ky-pie."

"The wolves were after me." Kylie mumbled and reached her hands up, grabbing onto Ryan's shoulders and hauling herself closer to her mom. "Just like before."

"Well you're okay. I won't let any wolves get you." Ryan let out a little yawn and settled into the pillows. She made a move to reach out and turn the lamp off bur Kylie grabbed her wrist and made an attempt to pull her arm back down, away from the lamp. "Okay, I can leave the light on."

"Jordan said he wouldn't let the wolves get me either." Kylie whispered and Ryan turned her head around, stealing a look at Jordan. He had his eyes shut but at Kylie's words, a smile crept up onto his lips.

"I did tell her that." He let out a chuckle and Ryan dug her elbow into his gut, forcing him to open his eyes and look at her. "What?"

"You said that to her?"

"Yeah, wasn't I supposed to?" He looked utterly confused and maybe it was because it was the middle of the night and they were all supposed to be sleeping, but Ryan wasn't about to brush this off.

"Well I guess but you know you didn't have to do that." Ryan stated and Jordan leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss against her lips. When he pulled back, he dropped his head into the pillows and tightened his grip around her waist.

"It's true, if the wolves come after Kylie, or you, then I will do everything I can to stop them." Jordan murmured. "Now, how about we all just go back to sleep, I'll go check the perimeter for wolves in the morning."

"What's a perimeter?" Kylie's tired voice sounded out from in front of Ryan and the two adults stifled chuckles at her innocent question.

"The outside, I'll go check the outside of the house tomorrow." Jordan answered and listened to Kylie letting out a huge yawn. He didn't say another word, and neither did Ryan, instead, the two of them remained silent and waited for Kylie to fall back asleep.

It wasn't even five minutes later that her breathing was even and Ryan moved her hand down, slipping her fingers between his and letting him hold her hand against her side. He pressed a kiss to the side of her head and shimmied in the bed behind her, moving a little bit so that more of his front could be felt against her back.

She appreciated that he was right there for her and the fact that he had dealt with Kylie's nightmares before didn't go unappreciated. The more time she spent with Jordan, the more she was starting to realize that he was definitely turning out to be father material. Kylie may have lost her biological dad but so far Jordan was doing a pretty decent job of filling in.

"I love you." She murmured and felt his fingers gently biting into her side.

"I love you too, whether the wolves are in her dreams or like Derek Hale, I won't let them get you or Kylie."

"I know. Thank you."

"You're my family, I'm going to take care of you." Jordan whispered and let go of her hand. Ryan was about to object but when she saw his palm come to rest on Kylie's shoulder, she relaxed against him.

Maybe it was time to bring up their future again, maybe it was time to see what he was expecting in the long run.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Jordan was somewhat glad to be back at work the next day. After the impromptu trip to Derek Hale's loft, where he had learned that werewolves, and certain other supernatural creatures, really existed, he had been looking forward to getting on his computer and looking up a few names.

Lydia's grandmother had seemed like a good starting point and if he was going to break the case surrounding the dead pool, maybe her life, or even her death, held pertinent information that would lead him to a suspect. Jordan wanted to bring down whoever had published the dead pool; he wanted them to pay for what had happened to not only him but to everyone else on the list who hadn't survived.

While he didn't consider himself totally lucky, he knew that he could've faired much worse. Instead of surviving his own personal inferno, he could've died, he could've lost his life and everything good that was in it, including Ryan and Kylie.

The two of them weren't something he wanted to lose and he hadn't lied the night before when he had vowed to take care of Ryan. He'd do whatever he possibly could to make sure she was around to watch Kylie grow up. The little girl had already lost her father, she didn't need to lose her mother too and Jordan knew that he wasn't going to let that happen, not if he could control the situation.

Sure, Haigh had probably deserved a beat down even before he had the audacity to light Jordan on fire, but it had certainly felt good leveling the man out, knocking him unconscious and leaving him in the middle of the station, bloodied and bruised. It was the man's own fault, he had brought it on himself and now, not only was he hurting real bad, he was also out of a job and most likely facing a huge jail sentence. Attempted murder was no joke, especially when the intended victim was part of the local law enforcement.

Fighting against everything he had in him, Jordan held off on calling Ryan. He wanted to talk to her, he wanted to hear her voice, but he knew that if he started getting too clingy, his job, as well as hers, might be affected. For now, he'd try and keep his desire to contact her to a minimum, even if it had taken every ounce of willpower he had to leave her in her house that morning.

"Parrish, what are you doing here?" One of the other deputies appeared from the front lobby and approached his desk. He held a cup of coffee in his hand and a surprised look on his face. Apparently no one had been expecting Jordan at work that day, maybe word had gotten out that Haigh had attempted to end his life. Surely that would've warranted at least a few days off.

But Jordan needed to be at work, he needed to find answers before more people ended up hurt. He was just the beginning and if he could figure out who the hell had created the dead pool, and how they had chosen the names on it, maybe he could keep anyone else from dying.

"I've got a job to do. The case isn't going to solve itself." Jordan replied and tried to act as nonchalant as possible. Truthfully, he was freaking out just being in the same room as he had beat up his former partner in the night before, but he didn't have access to the records he needed anywhere other than at work.

He hadn't been lying when he said he had a job to do, first on his list was looking into the life and death of Lorraine Martin.

"Right, well, I guess…if you need some help, or if there's something I can do for you, just let me know." The deputy offered and Jordan nodded his head in understanding. He wasn't going to be asking him for help, he wasn't going to be asking anyone for help.

The only person that he even would've considered asking was the sheriff, but he was out getting his gunshot wound taken care of.

His colleague gave Jordan a tip of his head and moved away from his desk, disappearing back into the main lobby. Jordan looked around the room and made a mental note that he was the only one there, although he knew there were more people in the station, there was someone manning the front desk, and probably another deputy or two floating around.

Perfect for him, he could do what needed to be done without any more interruptions.

First thing was first, he pulled up the files pertaining to Eichen House, which was where Lorraine Martin had spent her last days. He didn't feel like looking at them on the screen so, one by one, he printed them off and when he had printed them all, Jordan stood up and wandered across the room to the printer, grabbing the papers from the tray.

His eyes immediately fell on the first file and he made his way back to his desk while looking it over. Apparently there were quite a few suicides at Eichen House over the years and Jordan was surprised to find out the exact total. This was a place that was supposed to be helping people, wasn't it? If that was actually the case, why was the suicide rate so high?

"Find a connection." Jordan muttered to himself and let the papers drop down onto his desk.

He peered at his phone again and fought off the urge to grab the handset and dial Ryan's number. She was okay, she had to be okay. If something was wrong, if she was in danger, then he'd know about it, wouldn't he? The deputies would be the first people that would be called in the event of an emergency and Jordan had to convince himself that no news was good news. So long as he didn't hear anything, he could try to assume that all was well.

That didn't sate his worry though. If someone like Haigh could easily over power Jordan, who was a trained deputy, how hard would it be for someone to do the same to Ryan?

His hand gripped the phone but he shook his head. If he was going to keep himself on track, he was going to have to start learning to let it go. Ryan was fine, if she needed him, she'd call him.

Jordan let out a frustrated sigh and picked up the papers one more time. He began reading over the one on the top and when the all too familiar name of the orderly he had encountered too many times before showed up on the page, Jordan narrowed his eyes.

Apparently Brunski had been the one to discover the body of the first person in the pile who committed suicide.

Jordan flipped to the next page and spotted the man's name in the same spot, apparently he had discovered more than one body.

Upon looking at the third, forth, and fifth pages, Jordan had found his pattern. Brunski was linked to all of the suicides in his hand and that was definitely worth checking out.

Fighting off the desire to call Ryan one more time, Jordan rose up to his full height, let the papers fall down to the surface of his desk and took off for the front of the building. The faster he could get to Eichen House, the faster he could get home to Ryan, and until he laid his eyes on her, he'd be worrying sick over her and Kylie.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Getting into the building had been easy, even though it was after hours. All he had to do was flash his badge to the night guard and he was in. Getting the lady at the front desk to cooperate, now that was a different story.

"Ma'am, I'm here to talk to Brunski."

"Sorry but the last I saw of him, he was doing his rounds." The lady replied without even bothering to look up at him. Jordan fought off the urge to growl at her and tried to remain calm. If he could just charm his way into the building, past this particular woman, then he'd maybe be able to locate the man he was looking for.

"Is there any way that you could possibly page him?"

"Well maybe." She shrugged and averted her gaze to a piece of paper off to the side on her desk. "Actually, my bad, I was mistaken. The last I saw of him, he was escorting two lovely young teenagers down to the records room."

"What?" Jordan snapped at her and moved forward, leaning his elbows on the desk and staring at the woman. She finally brought her attention up and met his eye, jerking backwards at the glare he was giving her. Okay, apparently she now understood how serious this situation was.

"Yeah, not too long ago, this sweet looking red headed girl came in with the sheriff's son, we've had him in before, you know, for an overnight stay." The lady was clearly trying to help by providing as much information as she could but right now Jordan just needed to get to Brunski and get Stiles, and who he assumed was Lydia, out of there before something happened to them.

"Give me the keys." Jordan demanded in a low tone and the lady's eyes widened at his request. "Now!"

She spun around in her chair and stood up, heading over to the hook on the wall where there were numerous keyrings loaded with keys. She grabbed one of the sets and turned back around to face Jordan, then she tossed them at him. Jordan caught them with ease and took off in a mad dash down in the same direction that they had gone when they had come to see Meredith.

He knew where he needed to go, Stiles would've figure out that they needed the same information that he had been looking at before he had come to Eichen House and the best way the teenagers would've been able to do that would've been to go right to the source. They had to be in the records room, as per the lady's exclamation and Jordan kicked it into high gear, hoping that he could keep the teenagers unharmed.

Following the signs, he came to the end of the hallway that he needed to be in, faint voices echoed out of the dark room about halfway down and Jordan wondered what he'd see when he entered.

He drew his gun out of the holster and held it in front of him as he tiptoed towards the records room, praying that Stiles and Lydia were unharmed.

He poked his head inside the open doorway and peeked inside, looking for any sign of distress from anyone. When his eyes landed on Brunski, who was squatting down next to Lydia, Jordan sprang into action and surged ahead.

There was a syringe in Brunski's hand and the end of the needle was pressed firmly against Lydia's neck as Jordan rounded the corner, spotting Stiles' attempt to stop the orderly too. With his weapon in his grasp out in front of him, Jordan was prepared to use whatever means necessary to protect the teenagers who were clearly in a bit of a predicament.

"Drop it." Jordan commanded and took a few steps forward, putting Brunski clearly in his sight and getting a better vantage point of what was going on. "Take your thumb off that needle and slowly withdraw it from her neck."

Brunski turned his head to the side and looked up at Jordan, a cocky smirk ever present on his face. There was something about this guy that bothered Jordan, and even if he wasn't seconds away from plunging a needle into Lydia Martin's neck, he'd still watch his back when it came to Brunski; it was just a gut feeling and his gut was rarely wrong.

"Young Deputy, you're just a kid. I bet you've never even fired a-"

Jordan noticed the man's fingers moving first and within a split second, he pulled the trigger of his gun and let the bullet fly into the man who had tied up the teenagers. This was his job, this was what he was supposed to do, protect those that needed protecting. He wasn't going to let anyone get hurt, not if he could help it.

Brunski collapsed backwards, blood began trickling out of his mouth and without hesitating for a second, Jordan sidestepped towards Lydia, crouching down to get a quick look at her neck, just to make sure that Brunski hadn't gotten a chance to hurt her, and then slipping her a set of keys to get herself free.

"He-he killed my grandmother." Lydia's voice was low and husky, no doubt laced with fear, but Jordan wasn't going to lower his guard yet, not until he knew for sure that the threat had been neutralized.

Quickly moving back to the other side of the room, he kept his gun trained on the fallen Eichen House worker, stepping closer to the man to get a better look at the damage his bullet had done.

"He was controlling Meredith. He used her to create the dead pool, and killed her when she tried to help us." Lydia continued but Jordan kept his focus on the fallen man. Jordan turned his attention to Lydia for a split second and in that time, the man on the floor let out a grotesque cough, sending blood spouting out from his mouth.

Apparently Jordan's bullet hadn't killed him, not yet anyways.

When Brunski began laughing, Jordan leveled the man with a glare, his gun still pointed at him in case he tried to attack anyone one more time. He wasn't taking any chances, not after his week.

"You-you think it was me? That I was controlling her?" His laughter sounded more and more maniacal by the second but Jordan wasn't going to take his eye off him. Brunski had proven, time and time again, that he was _not_ to be trusted. "Idiots, she was controlling me."

His head rolled to the side and his eyes remained open, an emptiness there that hadn't been present mere seconds ago. Jordan lowered his gun but kept it in his hands, not willing to put away his major defense.

"Oh, God. It's not him. He's not The Benefactor." Lydia breathed out and Jordan looked from her to Brunski, taking in the sight before him. If Brunski hadn't been the so called Benefactor, then that had to mean it was someone else, someone who spent day in and day out in the very same building.

No, he wasn't controlling Meredith, _she_ was controlling him.

"No." The voice sounded more confident than the last time he had seen her, locked away in the cell while Lydia and Stiles spoke to her.

Meredith appeared around the corner, her eyes darker than Jordan remembered, and once he did a quick look over of her, he made a mental note that he still possessed the advantage in this particular situation as in, he had his gun out and ready and she didn't have any visible weapons.

She kept close to the nearby shelf, her forehead resting against the aging wood, everyone else in the room was watching her closely, anticipating what she was going to say next.

"And he wasn't on my list, but he was a bad person."

"Don't move!" Jordan called out and took a step closer to Meredith.

He reached his hand back and fumbled with the handcuffs on his belt, desperate to free them so that he could get them on Meredith and have total control of the situation. His plan was to secure Meredith and then check for a pulse in Brunski's neck; just because the man appeared to be dead, didn't mean he was. He needed firm proof and once he had that, he'd make a call into the station and request backup.

When he finally managed to get his cuffs free, he let them dangle from his hand and moved towards Meredith, his gun never leaving her. She just stared at him, her eyes wide and dark, and it wasn't until he was within reach of her that she moved a muscle and that was only because he had taken hold of her one wrist and roughly spun her around, immediately securing her wrists behind her and neutralizing the threat.

"Check his pulse." Jordan commanded and Stiles scrambled over to Brunski, dropping down to his knees next to the man's body.

Stiles' fingers pressed into the side of the man's neck and Jordan waited until Stiles had an answer for him, without him having to actually ask the question.

"There's no pulse." Stiles called out, confirming what Jordan already knew.

"You two, come on, I'm getting you out of here." Jordan nodded at them and then proceeded to holster his weapon.

Stiles and Lydia stood up and moved to stand together, the two of them waiting patiently as Jordan used his radio to call in what had just happened.

He had decided that once he was back at the station, he was going to call Ryan, whether he really needed to or not, it wasn't important. After the way his shift had gone, he was feeling pretty rattled. At this point in time, he just wanted to hear her voice.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Back into the swing of things for Jordan, who seems to be doing really well with Kylie. How are you guys liking the story?_**

 ** _Thank you again to my ever appreciated reviewers A and poorxbrokexcollegexkid, and now sarahmichellegellarfan1!_**

 ** _sarahmichellegellarfan1: Why thank you! I hope you continue to read and enjoy!_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: I totally agree! Derek needs a friend that's not trying to kill him, his friends or is a total nut job!_**

 ** _Guest: No I didn't mean to break your heart a little, well, maybe I did :$ Ryan's not just going to get over it, that's for sure. Thank you so much for the awesome review!_**

 ** _A: Just not even say a word to her, that's how he'd handle it haha, no, he couldn't possibly just brush the fact that he came home naked off, Ryan wouldn't have let him. Ryan's got a lot to deal with now for sure but I think she'll maybe be able to keep from completely falling apart. Thanks so much for the review! Love hearing from you!_**


	37. Chapter 37

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 37:_**

Melissa hadn't seemed too surprised to see Stiles Stilinski, in fact, it had been Ryan who was more shocked than anyone. The kid was clumsy, she could give him that, but generally his visits to the hospital, at least the ones in the past, had involved some serious issues. Stiles was never one who seemed to be too concerned with things so to see him back again so soon was a shock to Ryan.

She had been helping Melissa out with him and when the kid had requested a tape player, Ryan had looked at Melissa with the most confused look. Tape players, as in cassettes, well Ryan didn't figure that kids Stiles' age even knew what cassettes were anymore, hell, she could barely remember when CDs took precedent over the old tapes.

Nonetheless Melissa had set to work on seeing if there was anyone on the floor who had a cassette player and Ryan, who was merely waiting for her shift to be over, was helping her older friend.

"My dad might have a cassette player." Ryan announced as the two of them headed in the direction of the nurses' lounge. If there would be a tape player anywhere, chances were good that the lounge would have one.

"I have one at home, it's part of my stereo system though and I'm not going all the way to the house to lug my giant stereo down here for Stiles Stilinski to listen to some tape."

"I'm just surprised that he even knows what a cassette tape is." Ryan pointed out and the two of them approached the door to the lounge. Melissa waited as Ryan opened the door, motioning for her to enter and when she did, Ryan followed her inside, heading right for her bag and ultimately her chap stick.

She produced the lip balm out of her bag, popped the cap off and ran the moisturizing chap stick over her lips. She then put the cap back on, tossed it back into her bag and dug out her cell phone. It would seem that now was the perfect time for Ryan to show Melissa the picture of Jordan playing pretty princess with Kylie.

She searched through the pictures on her phone and stopped on the exact one she was looking for before stepping over and tapping Melissa on the shoulder. The older nurse turned her attention to Ryan's phone and let out a loud laugh. She then took hold of the phone and studied the picture of the deputy wearing a tiara, a boa, and makeup.

"I love it!" Melissa remarked and looked at the picture for a few more seconds before handing it back to Ryan. "I think you should just marry the guy already, I mean, I don't know any men that are willing to do something like that, even if it is for a little girl."

"Hey now, we _just_ started saying 'I love you'." Ryan countered but the smile on her face said it all, she was totally and completely smitten.

"I'm just saying, if he's willing to be a princess and play with Kylie, then you should lock it down."

"Maybe one day." Ryan let out a contented sigh and tucked her phone back into her bag. "He's really good with her, apparently the other night she tried to come into my room but ran into him instead, you know, after one of her nightmares. I only found out about it last night when he admitted that he told her he wasn't going to let the wolves get her."

"I'm going to assume she has nightmares about wolves." Melissa replied with a knowing smile.

"Yeah, although I have no idea why she's scared of wolves, or why they're haunting her dreams."

"Maybe she overheard someone talking about the attacks way back when we had all those wild animals running loose." Melissa suggested and motioned her head to the side, signaling for Ryan to take a seat on the couch. Melissa dropped down on the cushion and let out a huff.

"Maybe." Ryan shrugged in response and gently lowered herself down to sit next to her friend. "So I was at Derek Hale's place two nights ago."

Melissa leaned her head back on the couch but turned it so that she was facing Ryan. She didn't say a word, instead she lifted her hand up in the air and motioned for her to go on.

Ryan looked around the room and stared at the door for a few extra seconds, making sure there wasn't anyone lurking around outside. When she was pleased that there weren't any voices coming into the lounge from the hallway, she met Melissa's curious gaze.

"Scott was there."

"My Scott?" Melissa shot back and straightened up on the couch.

"Yeah, did you know that your son is a werewolf?" Ryan lowered her voice and prayed that Melissa knew. She didn't figure Scott would've kept his mom in the dark about something as big as that but it was always a possibility, after all, it was sort of a life changing secret to keep.

"Um…did I know that my son is a werewolf…well…yeah, yeah I did. Did _he_ tell you he was a werewolf?"

"He did, and I know that Derek's one too. I was googling werewolves yesterday and I didn't really find anything that I didn't already sort of know but when I started looking into Kanimas-"

"They told you about that?" Melissa cut her off.

"Yeah, Jackson Whittemore was a lizard-like shape-shifter before he, too, joined the werewolf ranks." Ryan drawled and crossed her arms over her chest. "You were there the night of the massacre, I know you showed up after the fact, but did you _know_ what really happened?"

Melissa sucked in a nervous breath and Ryan knew that she was going to tell her something that she might not want to hear. Melissa had been there, everyone knew that much, but how deep did her knowledge of what went on in the building go?

"That's the night I found out Scott was a werewolf." Melissa murmured and Ryan cocked her heard to the side. "I don't know what you want me to say, I guess I knew more than you did but I didn't totally understand it myself. I try to block a lot of that night out."

Ryan swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat. She had considered Melissa a friend, in all of the time that had worked together, she was the closest thing to a best friend that Ryan had. How did she feel about the woman now, knowing that Melissa knew more of what happened that night than she did?

"Did you see this _Kanima_?"

"I was locked in one of the cells, I didn't even know Cole was one of…I didn't know Cole was gone until after I got out of there." Melissa said softly and she prayed that Ryan wasn't going to get too upset over this new information. "Even if I understood it though, Scott swore me to secrecy. Ryan, you have to understand that if I had said something to you and word got out that my…my _son_ is a werewolf-"

"I know." She cut her off and glanced sideways at Melissa. "Fun fact, Jordan's something weird too."

"Supernatural." Melissa supplied and Ryan tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Not weird, supernatural. Do you know what he is? Werewolf maybe?"

"No, no idea. Derek said it was far beyond his knowledge. I mean, Jordan was set on fire and he managed to survive, call me a skeptic but when he first told me that, I thought he was making it up. There's no possible way that any normal human being would be able to survive being set on fire."

"He's not normal." Melissa pointed out with a knowing smile. "He's supernatural."

Ryan nodded her understanding and considered what had gone through her head the night that Derek Hale had confessed that he was a werewolf. Part of her had screamed for her to run, to get out of there and away from the crazy people in the loft but another part of her was willing to accept his words. She had lived for too long in a state of ignorant bliss and all she had to do was refer to her mental list of 'bizarre occurrences' to realize that there was something bigger at play.

There was the night the hospital was attacked by the ominous black ninja people with the menacing silver faces, that one was certainly one for the books, and now that Ryan was thinking back to that night, she had so many unanswered questions about it. If the ninja people were supernatural too, what were they and what had been their purpose at the hospital? Had they been after something, or maybe someone?

Then there was the night where Sean Walcott was discovered on the floor of his room eating the insides of a deputy. Was he something supernatural or was he just some sort of weird cannibal.

"I always knew this town was messed up." Ryan muttered and let out a frustrated sigh.

"Maybe you should look at this knowledge as a good thing. You know supernatural creatures exist so maybe now you can better handle the situations involving them."

"Like the night the hospital was attacked by ninjas…got it."

"Not ninjas, those were called Oni and Scott's informed me that they're gone."

"For good?" Ryan turned to face her, widening her eyes at her friend.

"Yes."

"Well, what about the Walcott kid-"

"Scott told me that he was a wendigo."

"A what?"

"Wendigo. In a vague description, a cannibalistic shape shifter. The entire Walcott family were wendigoes."

"How are you so calm with all this?" Ryan asked, her voice turning shaky from nerves. Melissa was sitting next to her on the couch explaining to her all of the weird, supernatural creatures that had been at the hospital and she was speaking like it was as normal a conversation as could be.

"Honestly, I have no idea. I guess maybe it's easier to accept when weird things happen knowing what I know now."

Ryan pressed her lips together and took her words into consideration. So far, at least for her, it was a little easier trying to understand the weird things that happened in Beacon Hills but that didn't make it any less horrifying. There were _supernatural_ creatures lurking everywhere and the thought that she didn't know how to distinguish them from normal humans was terrifying.

She stared down at her arms and thought about her newfound information. She _had_ been a little more than frustrated not knowing exactly what was happening and now that she knew about some of the supernatural creatures, things that didn't make sense before made a little more sense.

"I freaked out when Scott told me though so, it _did_ take some time to get used to." Melissa confessed. "It was scary, knowing that my little boy was this _thing_ that I didn't fully understand."

"Yeah but you still love him."

"I never stopped." Melissa breathed the words out and leaned forward, making her way to her feet. Ryan followed her lead and, together, the two of them headed back out into the hallway, leaving the lounge behind them for the time being.

Melissa paused just outside the door and looked back at Ryan, who seemed to be lost in her own little world, her gaze down at her feet while a look of concentration was etched on her face. She knew it was a hard thing to accept but maybe one day Ryan would understand, maybe she'd learn more about the supernatural and maybe she'd even get to know what Jordan Parrish was.

For now though, the two of them would just have to stick to what they knew and at that moment, they knew they had to inform Stiles that there was no cassette player to be found.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

The sheriff had spent most of the night talking to Meredith and Lydia, not together though, never together. Meredith had been brought in with handcuffs on, she wasn't going to be speaking to anyone other than respected authority figures. Now he was standing in his office looking over the paperwork that Jordan had filed when he had brought Meredith in. She was sitting across the room from him not saying a peep, which was precisely how the sheriff had wanted it.

Letting out a sigh, he knew that he was going to have to head out of his office to talk to the administrative assistant at the front desk about the paperwork, so without putting it off any longer, he set the papers on the top of his desk and headed for the door. As soon as he stepped outside, he noticed that Lydia Martin was sitting on the bench against the wall, her eyes were half shut and she looked totally exhausted.

Approaching her as he made as much noise as he could, without being a distraction to the rest of the people in the station, he studied her form for a few seconds and then opened his mouth to speak.

"I thought I told you to go home." He spoke to her and she jerked at the sound of his voice. If she hadn't been sleeping, he had scared her anyways.

"I thought I told you I wasn't going anywhere. Did they get anything out of her?" Lydia shot right back and looked up at him expectantly. The sheriff lowered himself down and took a seat next to her on the bench, his hands resting on his knees as he let out a sigh.

"Should have gone with the medium." He mumbled.

His eyes were pulled to the side at the sound of approaching footsteps and when Jordan Parrish appeared in his line of sight, he couldn't help but feel a little bit better about the whole situation. Jordan had gone home for a bit of a rest and maybe now that he was fresh, he'd be able to help them out with the case surrounding Meredith Walker.

The sheriff stood up first but Lydia was right there with him and the two of them turned to face Jordan head on as he closed the distance between him and them.

"We went through everything in Brunski's office, and so far everything amounts to pretty much nothing." Jordan announced, relaying the news that he had gotten from the other deputies working down at Eichen House. With a quick once over of both the sheriff and Lydia, it wouldn't have taken his superb detective skills to realize that both of them looked ready to lie down and sleep. "Did you not go home yet?"

"Not until Meredith starts talking." Lydia retorted and kept her eyes on Jordan.

"Lydia, I promise she'll talk, and when she does, I'll let you know. Trust me on this, everybody talks eventually." The sheriff spoke up and tried to reason with the girl standing next to him. There was no need for her to be there, not at that point in time. Meredith wasn't talking to any of the deputies and the sheriff had promised that if she did, Lydia would be near the top of the list of people to call.

"Then let me try." Lydia pleaded and looked at him with a hope filled expression on her face. She was clearly desperate, as they all were, but was it worth letting her in to talk to Meredith?

"No, we've already discussed this." He argued but a part of him was curious to find out if maybe the girl in his office _would_ actually speak to Lydia.

"I've gotten through to her before. Just let me try." Lydia was still begging and at the tone of sheer desperation lacing her voice, he looked over at Jordan, who merely gave him a slight shrug in response.

Maybe his deputy was thinking exactly what he was thinking, so long as there was someone in the room with Lydia and Meredith to supervise in case things went awry, then what was the harm in trying?

The sheriff rolled his head to the side and shot out a look that said 'what do we have to lose'. Without another word between them, Jordan strode forward and headed right for his office, opening the door and waiting for both the sheriff and Lydia to get inside.

Shutting the door behind them, Jordan trailed along after the sheriff and took up a spot against the front of the sheriff's desk, leaning his bum against the edge just like the sheriff himself. The two of them got comfy and watched carefully as Lydia hesitantly took a seat next to the girl residing on the bench.

They didn't say a word, they didn't even look at each other, the two of them simply watched as Lydia got comfortable on the bench and shifted slightly closer to Meredith. When she finally spoke, her voice was soft and soothing, a far cry from the previous tones of frustration any other time the two females were together.

"I think I'm getting an idea of how all this happened. You used Brunski, right? You knew he'd killed people, and that he would do it again." Lydia was pacing, at this point she dropped down to sit down next to Meredith, looking the girl in her wide eyes. "He used my grandmother's code for the dead pool, he put it online, he took the money from the Hale Vault, then turned the bearer bonds into cash. He made the payments. Was it Brunski's idea to fake your death? Did he get nervous because you helped us with one of the cipher keys?"

"I wanted to help." Meredith nodded.

"All you ever wanted to do was help." Lydia paused and Meredith gave another small nod of her head. "Is that why you're here? I know you wouldn't want to be here if you didn't want to talk."

"I do." Meredith replied and looked away from Lydia, peering straight ahead. "But only to one person."

"Who?" Lydia questioned.

"Peter." Meredith answered and Jordan glanced to the sheriff, who was looking right back at him. When he turned towards the girls, Lydia was also throwing them a knowing look. "Peter Hale."

The sheriff shot another look in Jordan's direction and without him having to ask, Jordan knew what he wanted. He wanted him to contact Peter Hale and see if he'd come down to the station and Jordan wasn't about to turn down his boss. He'd do whatever he could to help out the sheriff and if that meant trying to make contact with the infamous Peter Hale, then that's what he'd do.

"I'm on it." Jordan rolled his shoulders back and fought off the urge to sigh. It seemed like a menial task but he knew that if he could get Peter Hale down to the station, the whole dead pool case could potentially be blown wide open.

It was the least he could, right?

Taking off and leaving the sheriff in his office with the two girls, Jordan set his sights on his own desk, where he'd hopefully make quick work of getting in contact with Peter Hale. When he sat down at his desk, he turned on his computer and waited for it to start up, all the while he was waiting, he debated calling Ryan and talking to her. He could maybe convince himself that he was calling her in the hopes that she'd be able to help him track down Peter Hale, after all, she knew Derek Hale rather well and the two of them were related. Maybe calling Ryan wasn't a bad idea after all.

When his computer made a chiming noise, signaling that it was ready for him to log on to, he shook his head and pushed the idea of calling her to the back of his mind. He needed to try and focus on letting Ryan live her life without having him constantly calling her. If he was going to focus on his job, if he was going to do the best he possibly could, he was going to have to learn to leave her alone, at least until the going got tough, or there was a potential threat that would affect her.

Ryan didn't need to know how much he worried about her, not until he was at home after his shift. If she knew that he was constantly concerned about her, it might freak her out more and he knew that she didn't need to be any more scared that she already was. She had been through enough and she had come out on top, she was stronger than anyone else he knew. Breaking Ryan wouldn't be easy but if he kept pushing her and pushing her, he figured it wouldn't take as much effort.

Pushing the idea of calling her to the back of his mind, he punched in Peter Hale's name and brought up the man's file. His eyes scanned over the picture of him as well as the information held in the file, it wasn't until Jordan's eyes landed on a section titled 'contact information' that a smile broke out on his face.

Would it be that easy? Would he get a phone number, or even an address, from his deputy files and simply call the man up, or pay him a visit, requesting that he come in and answer some questions?

Picking up his phone and dialing the number written on the man's file, he waited for it start ringing, but after a few seconds of nothing but dead air, he quickly realized that it wasn't going to be that easy, not at all, and he lowered the phone back down to the cradle.

With his next attempt at locating the man in question, Jordan pulled up the mapping program on his computer and typed in the address listed on his file. When the results came back to the burnt down Hale house, Jordan growled in frustration. There was one more address to try and when he typed it into the program, it shot him back the information regarding the long term care home, which the man was no longer in, Jordan knew that much for sure.

Calling Ryan came back to the forefront of his mind but now he was trying to think of a way around it. He wanted to call Ryan and get Derek Hale's contact information, but he could skip a step altogether and look up Derek's information on his computer.

Doing just that, he brought up the man's file and picked his phone back up, dialing the number under the contact information. He waited for it to ring and when the familiar noise sounded out in his ear, he smiled. This was definitely a better sign than the dead air he had gotten when he had dialed the number listed on Peter's file.

"Hello?" Derek's voice was gruff and Jordan felt a split second of fear, wondering if maybe he had interrupted the man while he was doing something important. Well it was too late to turn back now.

"It's Deputy Jordan Parrish, I'm actually looking to get a hold of your uncle, Peter Hale."

"What'd he do this time?" Derek asked with a slight growl and Jordan let out a sigh.

"We just want to talk to him, ask him a few questions."

Derek fell silent on the other end of the line but Jordan waited patiently, hoping that he would help him. After nearly thirty seconds of silence, Derek let out a sigh of his own and began speaking again.

"Let me talk to him for you, I'll see what I can do, but don't count on anything."

"That's, yeah, that's fine."

"And I can reach you at this number if I run into any problems?" Derek pressed and Jordan found himself nodding before realizing that Derek couldn't actually see him.

"Yes, yes this number is good. You can tell him that he's not in any trouble, we just have some questions we'd like to ask him pertaining to an ongoing investigation."

"Sure." Derek snipped and Jordan swore he heard him suck in a breath. "Hey, you and Ryan Sloane, you two are pretty close right?"

"We are." Jordan replied, skepticism lacing his tone.

"Can you just tell her that if she…if she has any questions, she can call me, I'll be more than willing to try and help her out."

"Is this about the other night?"

"It's about a night that happened a long time ago."

"Right, I'll pass that along to her. Thanks for your cooperation."

"Yeah, if you have any questions of your own-"

"I'll give you a call."

Jordan listened for a few seconds longer and when the line went dead, he set the phone back on the cradle before leaning back in his chair. Derek was going to do his best to get his uncle to the station, aside from sending out a team to look for the man in question, all Jordan could really do was sit and wait with the hopes that Derek Hale would come through.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _For all of you fans of my Peter/OC series, I just posted a special Christmas story that you should definitely check out._**

 ** _Melissa and Ryan having a little chat, aren't they such fun little friends?_** ** _How are you guys liking the story?_**

 ** _Thank you again to my ever appreciated reviewers A and poorxbrokexcollegexkid, and sarahmichellegellarfan1!_**

 ** _sarahmichellegellarfan1: I hope that you liked the latest installment, I can tell you that there's definitely more of the three of them in future chapters_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Poor Kylie indeed! She's got her mom and Jordan though, she'll be okay_**

 ** _A: I think they make a cute family unit too :) thanks so much for the review and you're right, I totally neglected to consider that there was a shower at the station, makes sense to me._**


	38. Chapter 38

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 38:_**

When Peter Hale had finally shown up at the station, Jordan had a hard time containing his excitement. He wanted to get to the bottom of all of this benefactor business and he wanted to find out how it had come to be. Meredith couldn't possibly have been acting alone and this interrogation with her and Peter might prove that theory. Yes, Jordan was definitely excited.

He had been stationed to stand inside the room with Meredith to make sure she didn't try anything and when Peter finally wandered in, he knew that he was needed at that point more than he had been needed with just Meredith. Peter Hale wasn't someone that he'd want to mess with outside of the station but this was Jordan's turf and he wasn't going to be intimidated by anyone.

The sheriff, as well as Lydia Martin were safely tucked away in the adjoining room, the room that had a clear view through the mirror that let them see everything that was going on.

Peter took a seat at the table across from Meredith and stole a studious glance in Jordan's direction but he didn't make a move, he didn't even nod at Peter, instead he stood tall and rigid, hoping that this would get him the answers he wanted.

"Okay. Meredith, where's my money? Or more correctly, what's left of it." Peter asked and Jordan stood in front of the door, his hands at his sides but his fingers were balled into nervous fists. There was something about the man sitting down a few feet in front of him that bothered him and for the time being he wasn't entirely sure why. Maybe Ryan understood, maybe there was something she _knew_ about Peter Hale. It wasn't that farfetched of an idea considering she seemed to be rather close to Derek Hale, maybe she had some sort of information about Peter that was relevant.

Jordan's hand moved away from his body a little bit as Meredith made a move to lift her own arm. She gently, and cautiously, reached across the table and ran her fingers along the side of Peter's face, her head tilting to the side in order to study him. Peter's hand shot out and his fingers wrapped mercilessly around the girl's wrist as he forced her touch away from his skin.

Moving his hand to his side, Jordan rested his palm on the handle of his gun and prepared himself to draw. Whatever was about to happen in front of him didn't feel right.

"Let her go." Jordan gripped his gun and took a step towards them. " _Let_ her _go_."

For a few seconds, no one moved a muscle but Jordan noticed the man's fingers loosening on Meredith's wrist. He let out a small sigh of relief and continued to watch as Peter pushed her hand down, setting it on the metal table between them.

"Why would you do that?" Peter's voice was soft, laced with confusion even but Jordan just kept watching them, hoping that they'd get their answers sooner rather than later.

"They're all gone." Meredith countered, leaving Jordan more confused than ever. What had she been talking about, what had happened to him that Meredith was aware of? "The burns…they're all gone."

Meredith's tone of voice was eerie and calm and Jordan noticed that her signature twitchiness had come to surface at full force, her head moving jerkily as she continued to look right at Peter.

"Meredith, you put everyone, including my nephew and my daughter on a death list. Don't you think you owe us the slightest explanation of why?" Peter was clearly furious at the girl, who hadn't even been in the same room with him for more than a few minutes. What sort of thing had she done to the man that warranted this much anger so quickly?

"You said it had to be kept secret." Meredith leaned her body forwards and looked up at him, her eyes wide with wonder.

"I said- I said that, to you?" Peter fired back at her, clearly not believing a word the girl said.

"You said it."

"Meredith, allow me to remind you, yet again, we have _never_ met, _ever_."

"You don't remember?" Meredith pressed and sought out answers from him. It was as though she was trying to prompt him, to remind him of what had happened between the two of them. With each and every eerily calm word that came out of Meredith's mouth, Jordan tensed, his body flooding with anxiety.

"No, but maybe you do." Peter made a move to get out of his chair but Jordan was just as quick.

Peter shoved the table out of the way, leapt to his feet and set his sights on Jordan, Peter's eyes were full of darkness and he wondered what the hell was about to happen to both him and Meredith. He had been standing in the room to prevent anything from happened, to watch over them and make sure that neither one did anything they weren't supposed to, but apparently Peter hadn't gotten that memo.

Before he could draw out his weapon, Peter shoved him backwards, his shoulder colliding with the wall before he fell to ground, which was when he noticed that Peter had set his sights on Meredith. Peter's hand went right for her neck and his fingers dug into her throat. Jordan attempted to get to his feet but Peter's claws broke the flesh at the back of her neck and Meredith let out a cry of pain mixed with shock.

The sheriff and Lydia both rushed into the room through the door behind Jordan and Jordan leapt to his feet, his gun drawn and pointed directly at Peter, Meredith was left frozen in the man's grasp. The sheriff also had his gun drawn in his good arm, a look of pure anger on the older man's face.

"Don't." Lydia barked, panic evident in her tone. "Don't touch them. If you break the bond you could kill them. Both of them."

"What are we supposed to do?" The sheriff shot back at her and it was easy for Jordan to tell that he had no idea how they were going to get out of this. Jordan knew that it wasn't cut and dry, they were dealing with the supernatural, which didn't always have clear rules.

"I uh I don't know." Lydia answered with a slight shake of her head but she stood right next to Peter and Meredith, directly in their line of fire.

The sheriff lowered his weapon a split second before Jordan did and the two of them merely watched the scene unfolding in front of them. Sure Jordan was aware of werewolves, and a few other creatures, but this was still new to him. He had never seen anyone jam their fingernails into the back of someone's neck. What did that mean? What was going on?

"What the hell is he doing to her?" He asked, breathing heavily from the impact of being shoved backwards. His arm ached and his limbs were slightly shaky but he wasn't going to admit that, no, he was going to try and keep it together, at least until everything calmed down.

Meredith let out a gasp and tilted her head back, her eyes opening in the process. Her lips began moving quickly but he couldn't understand her, he had no idea what she was going on about.

"Do you hear that? Is she saying something?" The sheriff asked in a whisper, fearful that if they were too loud, they might interrupt the grotesque show in front of them.

"Can you understand that?" Jordan added quickly, looking right at Lydia.

"I can, I can hear it perfectly. She was in the hospital, the same hospital." Lydia answered softly.

"Same as who?" Jordan pressed, hoping that things would start making sense soon.

"Peter. It was right after the fire. Meredith could hear him."

"Hear what?" The sheriff broke in.

"Everything. She was hearing every thought in his head, like they'd somehow found the same wavelength and now everything going through his mind was also going right into hers."

"For how long?" The sheriff inquired.

"Weeks, maybe even months. It was almost like he was standing right over her bed talking about the fire, about getting revenge." Lydia continued to speak but Jordan was too entranced by the two people in front of him. Meredith continued muttering, Peter was still frozen, what the hell was going on here?

Peter's hold on Meredith released just as quickly as he had grasped her minutes before and when Meredith flew away from him, the force caused Peter to fall backwards and her to slump in her chair. The sheriff drew his gun once again and pointed it right at Peter, Jordan rushing to Meredith's side to help stabilize her.

"It was your idea and you don't even remember." Lydia accused him.

"Are you kidding me?" Peter drawled, looking up at the man with the gun without a hint of fear in his eyes.

"Hands where I can see them." The sheriff instructed and Peter seemed to back up, his back against the base of the wall as he responded.

"How the hell was I supposed to remember any of that?" Peter slowly pushed himself away from the floor, his hands out at his sides in a lame gesture of surrender. He made his way to his feet cautiously and looked around the room, most likely gaging his chances of getting out of there.

"She got it from you." Lydia forced the words out.

"I was out of my mind. Do you know what it's like for one of us to be in a coma? Paralyzed but cognizant? You try not going crazy." Peter shot back.

"She was listening to you." Jordan spoke up and took up a firm stance behind Meredith, who was still sitting in the chair, barely being able to remain sitting on her own.

A thought had crossed his mind at the mentioning of his coma. If he had spent time in the hospital, did that mean that Ryan knew about him or his condition? Plus Ryan knew Derek Hale, did that mean that Peter would recognize her from when she was younger simply because of Derek? Ryan could potentially hold information on the man in front of him that might be valuable, now he just had to ask her about him without getting her too involved with the case.

"She was listening to the ranting and raving of a lunatic." Peter retorted and thought better of his words before correcting himself. "A former lunatic, I'm much healthier now. I had nothing to do with this."

Peter seemed slightly more desperate and maybe there was a tiny part of Jordan that wanted to believe this man, that wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. He couldn't even begin to imagine how terrifying it would've been to be trapped in his own body while being in a coma, maybe something like that would drive anyone to the brink. But that wasn't as important as trying to figure out what the hell was going on and why Meredith had become more than a victim.

"If she was following your lead on this, then how do we know there isn't more?" The sheriff questioned.

"Stealing my own money, really?" Peter argued and raised his one hand into the air.

"Well you're going to use it anyway."

"Stop. Stop it, this is what she wants, it's why she's here. Look around sheriff, there's three people in here right now, three people still on the dead pool. Me, Parrish and Meredith." Lydia broke in.

"But not him." Jordan ground out locked his eyes on Peter.

"Lydia's right, we don't want to kill each other." Peter fumbled over his words but it was obvious how desperate he was to get out of there and away from the gun being pointed at him.

"The only person I'm pointing a gun at is you." The sheriff responded.

"Then you better make it a perfect shot sheriff because I don't go down easy." Peter was right back to being threatening at this point; even his voice was slightly different, more confident.

"I'm willing to bet that a bullet between the eyes doesn't heal real fast, not even for your kind." The sheriff ground out and cocked the gun, taking a step forward.

"Stop. Please stop." Lydia begged and shook her head in disbelief.

"This department is getting more corrupt by the second." Peter was pressing his luck now and Jordan couldn't help but watch him, waiting for him to make a move, a bad move. "What are you going to charge me with sheriff? How are you going to explain _this_ to a judge? Telepathic girl overhears thoughts of comatose werewolf and decides to enact his plans for retribution. They're going to be pointing a gun at your head, asking you to go quietly."

"Let him go." Lydia interrupted, her voice unsteady. "You have to let him go."

"I'd take the word of a banshee sheriff. I leave, no triggers pulled, no blood shed."

The gun rattling was the only sound in the room and eventually, after a hard fought battle in the man's head, the sheriff lowered his gun and shook his head angrily.

"That's twice Peter, there's not going to be a third." The sheriff threatened but the man was already moving forward, disappearing out into the hall.

"No. It's not finished." Meredith screamed and made a move to run after him. Jordan was quick to wrap his arms around her and hold her back, forcing her to stay in the interrogation room. "No, it's not finished! No! It's not done. It's not finished! No."

It wasn't for a few minutes, all of which Jordan had been struggling to keep Meredith seated, that she finally took in a deep breath and calmed herself down. Peter was long gone, but that didn't mean that he was forgotten, no, Jordan had already planned it out in his head, he was going to track Peter down and then follow him the next day, a day that he had off of work.

Peter wasn't getting away that easy and if Jordan had anything to do about it, he'd find anything he could to charge Peter with and if the man didn't break any laws, well then Jordan would keep on him. He wasn't going to relent until he had something on Peter Hale, something good.

The man couldn't possibly be trusted.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Jordan wanted nothing more than to get home, get to Ryan and go to bed. He wanted to cuddle up with her and remind her that he loved her, he wanted to tuck Kylie in and let her know that he was right there, ready to protect her if he ever had to. These two girls were his family and he wanted them to know that they meant the world to him.

When he unlocked the front door and stepped inside, he heard the television on in the living room. Of course the two of them wouldn't be in bed just yet, it was barely dark outside, which meant that Kylie would be pushing to stay up later and later until Ryan finally put her foot down and sent the girl to bed.

With a smile on his face, Jordan flipped off his shoes, freed himself of his jacket and headed towards the living room, pausing to peer into the kitchen just to make sure they weren't in there grabbing snacks. Satisfied that the two girls were exactly where he was expecting, he quietly waltzed into the living room and stopped dead in his tracks at the sight.

The two of them were sleeping, curled up together on the couch as a cartoon played on the television screen. He stifled a laugh but studied the two Sloane girls. Ryan had her head tipped back, resting on the back of the couch, while Kylie was lying down with her head on Ryan's lap, her mother's hand resting gently on the little girl's shoulder.

It was quite a nice sight to see; at least the two of them were relaxed enough in their own home to drift off when he wasn't there. He knew how tough it was for Ryan to calm down some nights, especially after weird things continued happening to her, or to the people she cared about.

Tiptoeing forward, Jordan crouched down and as carefully as he could, he slipped his arms under Kylie's knees as well as her shoulders and gently lifted her up, off the couch and away from Ryan, who's eyes fluttered open from the movement. She had a look of panic on her face but once she locked her eyes on him, she let out a breath of relief and stretched her arms into the air.

Ignoring her for the time being, he focused his attention on Kylie and carried her towards the stairs, mounting them one at a time and watching her face, praying that she wouldn't wake up, she looked far too peaceful. Stepping up onto the second floor carpet, Jordan wandered forward and entered her darkened room, stopping at the side of Kylie's bed and gently setting her down on top of the covers.

Ryan appeared in the doorway and without hesitating for a second, she sauntered inside and nabbed the extra blanket off the end of Kylie's bed, then she spread it out over her sleeping daughter's form. Jordan watched her as she bent over and pressed a sweet little kiss on the side of Kylie's head, then she headed out of the room, stopping just outside the doorway and looking back at Jordan.

He rushed forward and closed the door behind him as he enveloped Ryan against his chest, feeling her palms coming to rest against his shoulders in the process. If this was any indication of how the rest of his night would go, well Jordan liked his chances at a happy ending to his less than stellar day.

"Hi." She murmured and relaxed into his hold, letting her head gently drop down so that her ear was against his chest, directly over his heart.

"Hi." He replied, his voice soft, just like hers. "Did you and Kylie have a good night?"

"Mmm." She hummed and he ran his hands up and down her back, even going as far as to slip his hands under her shirt, drumming his fingers against her bare skin. "We started watching Finding Nemo, I think we both fell asleep about halfway through."

"You two must've been really tired." Jordan remarked and loosened his hold on her, peeling himself away from her and taking her hand instead. She leaned against his side and slipped one of her arms around his waist, walking beside him as he led her to her bedroom.

Once they were inside, she let go of him completely and headed right for the bed, climbing into the covers and laying down. She propped her head up on her hand, her elbow in the pillows, and watched as he slowly undressed.

"I was googling werewolves and kanimas again tonight." She stated, Jordan turning his back to her so that he could go to the closet, where he quickly hung up the shirt he had just peeled off.

"Find anything interesting?" Jordan asked and worked away at his belt, once it was free, he draped the band of leather over the doorknob on the closet and went right to work on his pants.

"I don't know, I guess. There's a _lot_ of information out there right but I got to a point where I found myself wondering how much of it was actually true and how much of it was just teenaged girls obsessed with the supernatural filling the web with whatever made sense to them. Just because someone writes about a werewolf in a book, doesn't make everything about it true, right?"

"Right." Jordan chuckled and shucked off his pants, which left him standing in the middle of the room in nothing more than his socks and underwear. Before she had a chance to say another word, he lifted his feet up one at a time and pulled the socks off, then he turned to face her and walked over to the bed, slipping in under the covers in front of her and resting his palm on her hip, his thumb stroking her skin gently. "Any clues as to what I am?"

She shook her head no and scooted forward on the bed, eliminating most of the space between their bodies. Her hips were against his and her hand went right to his side before she curled up against him, shielding herself with his body.

"Whatever you are though, it scares me." She murmured and pressed a kiss against his chest, causing a slight shiver to run through his body at her lips touching his skin.

"Does that affect our relationship? Do you still love me?"

"I love you just the same." She let out a sigh and felt his arm snake around to her back, his palm pressing into her spine as he tried to get her to move her body closer to his. "But it's still scary. I don't like not knowing what you are."

"We'll figure it out eventually." He offered with a smile, trying to assure her that whatever he was, well it wasn't going to cause too much of a rift between him and her, or him and Kylie. So far he hadn't experienced anything that would give her cause for concern; at least she shouldn't have to fear for her safety, not yet anyways. The only thing that even suggested he wasn't fully human was the fact that he had survived the fire that his former partner had set to his body. In his eyes, that seemed like a superb advantage.

"I hope you're right." She mumbled and he felt her body relaxing even more against him. He ran his hand back to her hip and slipped it lower, giving her outer thigh a rough squeeze. She tensed slightly at his movement and lifted her leg up, wrapping it over his hip and pressing her body further against his.

"Maybe this isn't the best time to tell you this but I was talking to Derek Hale today-"

"Why?" She cut him off and studied his eyes. Had he contacted the man for her or did he have some other motive? If he _did_ contact Derek to talk about her, what had he said? Had he given Derek any information that she didn't want other people to know about?

"We needed to get Peter Hale down to the station, Derek was the best option I could find." Jordan explained with a small smile and Ryan narrowed her eyes on him. "Anyways, he told me to tell you that if you have any questions, you can call him and he'll try to do his best to answer them."

"Derek said that? To you?" She sounded confused. While she knew Derek Hale when she was younger, they hadn't been best friends, not by a long shot, that meant that he had no obligation to help her out with anything now, but here was Jordan, letting her know that he was willing to field her questions.

"He did." Jordan nodded and brought his head down, pressing his forehead gingerly against hers. "Why are you so surprised?"

"I don't know, I guess I just…he doesn't owe me anything."

"Well maybe he just wants to help you understand, maybe he knows how difficult it was for you after Cole died."

At the mentioning of her late husband, she sucked in a breath and held it, hoping that she could keep her emotions in check. She didn't want to cry, not while Jordan was holding her in the bed, not while his hands were running over her body, no, she hated crying in front of him, especially when the reason for her tears was the man that she had loved before he had even come along.

"Right." She let the word escape over her lips, but then she fell silent, not entirely familiar with what she was supposed to say.

Jordan remained silent and studied Ryan. His hand still resided on her thigh, her leg was still draped over his hip, his forehead was still resting against hers. There wasn't much space left between them and the only thing that stopped him from taking things to the next level were their clothes, yet suddenly that didn't feel right to him. She was clearly upset even if she didn't say it out loud and if Jordan was honest with himself, he had more questions to ask her.

"Were you familiar with his uncle then? Did you know Peter Hale at all?" Jordan asked and released his hold on her thigh, but her leg didn't move.

"I knew _of_ him. He'd come by the high school at lunch sometimes before the fire. After the fire, I knew he was in the hospital, even passed by his room a few times during my first year here." She answered carefully, trying to remember life before Cole was ripped away from her.

She knew that sometimes her memories were cloudy, especially when they happened at the same time that she had been so happy with Cole, but these particular memories, the ones involving Peter Hale, had rarely involved Cole.

"How did he make you feel?" Jordan asked in a low tone.

"What do you mean?" She stared at him, a confused look on her face.

"Okay, for example, you saw him at lunch, right?"

"Yeah, he'd sit with Derek outside." Ryan answered.

"Did you ever talk to him?" Jordan pressed her and wondered at what point she'd break. He was well aware of what he was doing, he could tell by the stiffness in her muscles, but that wasn't going to stop him, not until she was clearly ready to fight him.

"I might've said hi to him once or twice in passing." Ryan lowered her eyes downwards and stared at Jordan's chest. "I knew Derek, I was being friendly but me and Peter never had a real conversation, I mean, I don't even think I ever saw him outside of school without Derek."

"So you never spoke to him." Jordan stated, trying more to think out loud than anything. "What about the rest of the Hales? Did you know them?"

"Again, I knew _of_ them. Beacon Hills is a pretty small place, the Hales were kind of well known, especially after the fire." Ryan explained.

Jordan nodded his understanding but didn't ask her any more questions. Ryan seemed very willing to help him as best as she could but it was clear that she didn't know much about the Hales at all. Maybe he'd have to revisit the investigation the next day at work, maybe he'd-

"Peter Hale was thought to have been dead though, Melissa told me that a while ago, before you came here." Ryan said, breaking into his thoughts.

"The fire?" Jordan asked and ran his hand through her hair in a soothing manner.

"No, no after he got out of the hospital. I don't know much about it but I do remember Melissa talking about how weird it was to see him again." Ryan shrugged. "I didn't know what happened or what she was talking about, as far as I knew, he was just always around, you know?"

"He's a werewolf." Jordan pointed out. "Maybe he's more powerful than Derek?"

"I think that's a good theory." Ryan murmured.

"Do you know if the rest of the Hales were werewolves too?" Jordan questioned causing Ryan to suck in an anxious breath.

He had asked a very decent question but that didn't mean she knew the answers. If Derek confessed to being a werewolf and Jordan somehow knew that Peter was one too, would it be too farfetched of an idea to assume that the rest of his family were werewolves as well?

"I think it's very possible that the werewolf gene is genetic. I'm only guessing here but I think that most of his family were werewolves too, might help you figure out what really happened the night of the fire." Ryan offered.

"Actually, I think the sheriff may have already solved that, the file on the Hale fire is in his office." Jordan hummed his response. "But you've given me a lot to go on."

"Well then good." She nodded and sucked in a breath. "Do you have any more questions for me?"

He hesitated and considered the answer to her question. Did he have any more questions for her? There was still a bunch of confusing facts floating through his head and maybe once he sorted them all out, he'd be able to think a little more clearly but at that moment, he wanted one thing and one thing only. He just wanted Ryan.

"Just one more question…" He trailed off with a smirk and she widened her eyes at him. "Has all this talk of the supernatural ruined any chances of us having sex tonight?"

At the sound of her laughter, Jordan knew that he still had a chance with her that night and he wasn't going to waste it.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Once again, for all of you fans of my Peter/OC series, I just posted a special Christmas story that you should definitely check out. Ryan makes a brief cameo in the 3rd chapter as well._**

 ** _How would you guys feel if Peter and Ryan ever crossed paths? And also, how did you like the latest installment?_**

 ** _Thank you again to my ever appreciated reviewers A and poorxbrokexcollegexkid, and sarahmichellegellarfan1!_**

 ** _Guest: Ryan would've known Paige for sure. They wouldn't have been that close though but they definitely would've known each other. Thank you for the review!_**

 ** _sarahmichellegellarfan1: thank you! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Yes, poor Melissa does need some adult friends, and so does Ryan. They're good for each other_**

 ** _A: Nah, Jordan's a good guy. Derek was referring to the sheriff's station massacre, he just didn't want to say that in front of Jordan because it's not necessarily something that's his business to know, it's Ryan's place to tell him. Ryan would've been exposed to Paige's death but she's had so many more traumatic things that have happened to her that it's probably not at the front of her mind. thank you so much for the review!_**

 ** _Rasheed: I try to keep errors to a minimum and I'm glad that you're enjoying the story! Thanks so much for the review! I hope you continue to read and enjoy!_**


	39. Chapter 39

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 39:_**

Jordan had taken over for the deputy that he had asked to trail Peter Hale early the next morning. It wasn't that Jordan didn't want to sit outside the man's apartment during the night and keep watch but he had to make sure that Ryan was good, he had wanted to talk to her about what she might've known. Plus his fellow deputy had been thankful for the easy task of sitting in his cruiser most of the night, watching, waiting for Peter to leave his apartment.

It had taken him longer to find a manhole to get open more than anything. In fact, he had almost lost Peter while he tried to get below the surface of the roads, which is precisely where the man had disappeared too minutes ago. He would've snuck down into the same entry point as Peter but Jordan didn't want to draw attention to himself, so he skipped across to the next road and tried desperately to get underground.

It had taken him at least an hour before he found a point for him to enter through and while it hadn't exactly been a man hole, it had served its purpose. He was in, he was below the surface of Beacon Hills, now all he had to do was locate Peter and keep on his trail.

It sounded easier than it really was. There were too many twists and turns, too many dead ends in the sewers but Jordan continued to press forward, hoping that with every corner he turned that he would lay his eyes on the man in question.

It was when he rounded the corner and caught sight of someone else that Jordan felt the mundane repetition of the sewer walls being broken. The man was clearly in distress, pain even, but Jordan didn't know what had happened or if the man was dangerous, at least not until he was a few feet away and within sight of the man's face.

Chris Argent was badly wounded, as was obviously evident by the piece of rebar protruding from his gut. The rebar was jammed right through Chris and right into the wall, pinning him there. If that hadn't been bad enough, the piece of the metal bar sticking out of his stomach was bent, trapping him in the sewers, forcing him to remain against the concrete wall.

Jordan knew that if the metal rod hadn't been bent, then the man would've been able to get himself free and potentially have been able to make it to somewhere, or someone, where he could get help. That wasn't the case though and as Jordan slowly approached, he knew that the scene in front of him was a bad one.

Lifting up his flashlight, Jordan peered down the tunnel further but the beam of light had already caught the wounded man's attention, bringing his head up so that he could get a better look at who was coming towards him. He wondered if Chris Argent would've been gaging his threat level and a thought occurred to Jordan; who had put the man in his current position and the only name that came to mind was Peter Hale.

"They're gone." Chris moaned with pain.

"How long have you been like this?" Jordan shot back and rushed forward, running his flashlight up and down the man's form. Blood dripped down from his wound and pooled at his feet and he didn't know how much longer Chris was going to last in the sewers.

"I don't know, might have blacked out a few times." Chris replied slowly, his eyes fluttering shut and opening back up hesitantly, as though it took everything he had just to stay focused.

"Peter Hale did this?" Jordan questioned immediately, hoping to prove his theory to be true.

"You were following him?" Chris asked and Jordan swore he noticed a tiny bit of a look of pride on the man's face.

"Every day since Meredith Walker." Jordan answered, leaving out the part where he wasn't personally responsible for every second of tracking down Peter Hale. It was unimportant though, what was important was getting Chris off the wall and to the hospital where he could be taken care of. As long as Jordan had anything to say about it, the man wasn't going to die, not down in the sewers.

"Listen to me, Kate's going after Scott. Peter and Kate. You've got to warn them." Chris' voice was slow, hesitant even, and Jordan knew that the man was barely holding on.

"I can't, there's no service down here." Jordan's voice was firm in his argument. He had looked at his cell phone as soon as he was in the subsurface tunnels, if Ryan had wanted to get a hold of him, she wouldn't have any luck. If anything happened to him, no one would know where he was and they wouldn't be able to trace his phone either. This was risky, even for a trained deputy.

"Then just go." Chris shot back with everything he had left.

"If I leave right now, you'll be dead by the time I get back. I'm getting you out of here." Jordan retorted, his tone laced with confidence and he knew, at that moment, that whatever was going to happen to the man, it wasn't going to happen on Jordan's watch. He was going to get him off the wall, he was going to get the rebar out of his stomach and he was going to get them both back to the surface. There was no doubt in his mind, it was just what had to be done.

Jordan made quick work of peeling off his jacket and tossing it to the ground before he gently set his flashlight down on top of the garment. He sucked in a breath and leaned forward, grabbing hold of the bent portion of the rebar and pulling on it with everything he had. His muscles were strained, veins protruded from his arm, but that wasn't going to stop him from trying his hardest.

Chris let out a pained scream, a heartbreaking sound, and he continued to pull and pull with all of his might to get the rebar to bend back out straight and away from the man's battered body. Chris continued to cry out, his screamed haunting Jordan as he tried and failed to get the rebar to unbend.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Jordan stopped pulling on the bar and Chris let out a low gasp, sucking in a long pull of air as he tried to lessen the pain.

Jordan's chest was heaving now and he bent over, pressing his palms against his thighs as he tried to catch his breath from the nearly impossible task of bending the rebar in order to get the man free. Chris continued to moan and groan from the unimaginable pain on his wounded body.

"I can't do it myself." Jordan stated, pushing his anger towards Peter to the back of his mind for the time being. There was plenty of time to track down the man and confront him but right now he needed to get Chris free, he needed to get the man to the hospital before his time was up. "It's not bending back and it's not coming out of the wall."

"Leave." Chris gasped for breath and Jordan peered up at him, wondering how much pain this man had endured just to get to this point. Surely he had lasted this long already, didn't the man in front of him want to keep fighting, didn't he want to see the end of his mission, whatever it may be?

"I can't do that either. I need you to help me." Jordan stated firmly and while he figured the man stuck to the wall thought he was stubborn, he didn't care.

He had seen too many people get hurt recently to let this man stay down in the tunnels by himself, waiting for death to take him. He was going to fight for him, he was going to give the man all he had until he didn't have anything left to give.

Jordan continued staring at Chris, he was calculating what he wanted to try next, he was going to try to get Chris to help him with the bar and maybe, just maybe, the two of them together could unkink the bar enough so that he could slip himself off.

"I know you're hurt and you're tired but I need you to gather everything you've got and help me." Jordan instructed but he could feel himself faltering. He was already exhausted from his first attempt at pulling the bar back, but he wasn't going to give up yet. If he could just get Chris to understand that he wasn't going to give up on him, maybe he could get him to give all he had left too.

"I've got nothing."

"Grab the bar sir." Jordan demanded as he reached out and set a comforting hand on the older man's shoulder, trying to convey with just a touch, that he wasn't going anywhere, not without Chris by his side.

"I've got nothing left." Chris' voice was low, barely louder than a whisper and Jordan was well aware he was nearing the breaking point, if he wasn't already past it. They didn't have much time. "Please. Just go. We're running out of time."

"You know what you need?" Jordan asked, fishing for an answer.

If he could keep Chris interested, he stood a chance at getting him to comply, then he'd take him to the hospital, then he'd get him the help he needed. He'd even call Ryan on the way and inform her that he was bringing Chris Argent in and to keep his injury on the down low, if that was even possible.

He needed her help just as much as he needed Chris. Jordan didn't want this situation getting out to the public, he didn't want anyone in Beacon Hills to fear if they didn't have to. All he needed to do was get Chris free.

When Chris didn't answer, Jordan pressed on, "adrenaline. There's two ways to get it. Fear and anger, since you don't look like a guy who's afraid of anything, you need to get angry. You need to get so angry that your brain lets loose every bit of adrenaline it has left."

"I'm too tired to be angry." Chris replied pitifully.

"Okay, I don't know much about you." Jordan trailed off and thought about what he was going to say next before looking right back into Chris' eyes. "Or what you've been through but Lydia told me some of it." Jordan set his hand on his shoulder yet again. "And I know about Allison. I know how she felt about Scott and I think if she knew what was happening to him, she'd be pretty angry, at least angry enough to try one more time to get the hell out of here. So whatever trigger you need, if it's Allison, or your sister, or Peter, use it! Use it right now."

Jordan watched in awe as Chris' hand lifted up slightly and took hold of the bent rebar sticking out of his stomach. Jordan then wrapped his fingers around the end of the rebar and with one final nod to Chris, the two of them began to work at bending the bar back out straight.

The two males were slowly and surely bending it out straight and Jordan was pulling with every last ounce of strength that he had. This was it, it was do or die, if they couldn't get the bar bent back, then Chris was doomed and Jordan would be forced to head back to the surface and round up a retrieval team.

Chris' screams flooded the sewers, bouncing off the stone walls and echoing further unto the tunnels. Jordan continued to pull on the rebar and slowly but surely, it began to move, it began to straighten out under their actions. Once the bar was relatively straight, Jordan let go of it and stood straight in front of him, watching as he slid forward, forcing his body over the remaining portion of the metal bar.

Chris was managing to maneuver his body forward: grunts, groans, cries of pain flooded his ears and he reached out, taking the man's hand and helping him free himself from the last remaining inches of the rebar.

Once Chris was no longer pinned to the wall, Jordan let his hold on him go for a split second and he slipped his arm around Chris, supporting his weakened form. Chris clung to the young deputy but forced a small smile in his direction, trying to convey that he was rather proud of what they had just accomplished.

"We need to get you to the hospital." Jordan stated firmly.

"Good idea." Chris ground the words out and continued to cling to Jordan, using his weakened arm to keep himself upright. Jordan continued to support the older man as they headed for the exit, the very same point that he had entered through.

All he had to do now was get the man to the surface and rush him to the hospital. Chris Argent was far from out of the woods yet.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Ryan hated it when things became chaotic at work, especially when it was near the end of her shift. While she always knew to be prepared for anything, this particular last minute case was something that even a seasoned veteran wouldn't have been able to anticipate.

When Jordan had brought in the man with the puncture wound all the way through his stomach, from his back to his front, she had fought hard against herself not to just freak out and panic right in front of the main doors. She had managed to hold it together until she had the man, named Chris Argent apparently, on a stretcher and stabilized on the thin mattress.

An IV had been quickly hooked up and the operating room nurses had whisked him away to be prepped for surgery. There was far too much internal damage for them to just patch him up, he'd certainly expire if that was the case, so once the man was out of sight, and out of mind for the time being, she had headed back out into the lobby in search of the all too familiar man who had brought Mister Argent in.

"Ry!" Jordan called at her and she turned to face where his voice had come from. She faced him in time to see him close the last few feet between them and when he came to a stop nearby, she looked up at him, her eyes wide with unasked questions. "Is he going to be okay?"

"Jesus, I don't know." She lifted her hands up in surrender and let out a deep sigh. Turning her back towards him, she sucked in a breath and tried to calm down. The mere sight of the man with the hole right through him had been enough to push her to the brink, now Jordan was on her, asking if he was going to be okay when he had barely even been looked at.

"Hey, whoa, I'm sorry-"

She turned back around to face him and he fell silent, surely he had seen the look on her face, the look that was a mix of frustration and fear, "I don't know."

This time she was slightly calmer and he found himself wanting to approach her instead of backing away like he had wanted to do the first time he asked.

He took a step closer to her and offered his hand to her, which she took into her grasp and held on to tightly. Her bloody latex gloves had been discarded shortly after she had seen the man off to the operating room, and now she stood in the middle of the hall with blood staining the front of her scrub shirt.

"I'm just a nurse Jordan." She sighed and felt the weight of the world pressing down on her shoulders. She tipped her head back and met his gaze and Jordan gave her a nod of understanding.

"I didn't mean to set you off, but he's a very crucial witness, and I kind of know him." Jordan confessed and Ryan could tell by the sparkle in his eye that the man she had helped whisk away was someone that Jordan wanted to see pull through. "I found him in the sewers."

"What?" Her eyes widened at him and he wasn't sure whether she was surprised because of where he had found Chris Argent or because he hadn't exactly told her about his plans for the day, specifically leaving her in the dark about his desire to trail Peter Hale.

"I found him in the sewer." Jordan repeated the words, this time he used a lower tone and motioned for her to follow him off to the side of the hallway.

She moved with him and when they were out of the way, he positioned her so that her back was against the wall and he was in front of her, blocking her from getting away, or even seeing out past him.

"Is this one of the things that's going to be put on the 'bizarre things' list?" She asked, her voice low so that other people around her wouldn't be able to hear her. "Does this have something to do with a werewolf?"

"Sort of." Jordan tipped his head from side to side and thought about how best to phrase what had happened. He wasn't entirely sure what had transpired in the sewer before he got that, all he knew for sure was that Peter Hale had been the one to pierce Chris' stomach with a piece of rebar, which ultimately left him pinned to the wall.

If he hadn't gotten there in time, Jordan would've had to focus on getting his body out of the sewer and that was something that made him shudder.

"Sort of?" Ryan narrowed her eyes in on him and waited for him to go on.

"Peter Hale did that to him." Jordan answered, a definite edge to his tone as he spoke about the man that he had most recently found out was a werewolf. "After I left this morning, I trailed Peter down into the sewers, I lost him for a while and when I turned the corner, I spotted Chris Argent stuck to the wall. Peter stabbed him with the rebar, he put the metal rod right through him and then bent it so that he wouldn't be able to get free."

Ryan's eyes nearly bugged out of her head at Jordan's explanation. Chris Argent had been targeted by Peter Hale, he had been left in the sewers with a rod through his body to die?

"And you need him to survive so that you can understand what's really going on?" Ryan questioned and moved her hand out, running her palm down his forearm before gently grasping his hand in hers. "Is Chris something _supernatural_ too?"

"Not as far as I can tell." Jordan murmured and leaned forward, letting his palm, the one not in her grasp, rest against the wall beside her head. She looked up at him, letting him cage her in, and when he sucked in a breath, she held hers, waiting for him to speak again. "He said Peter and Kate are going after Scott-"

"McCall?" Ryan cut him off and tensed at the mentioning of the teenager's name.

"Yes, I have to warn them, I have to let them know what Chris said." Jordan pressed and Ryan let go of his hand, reaching down into the pocket on the front of his jeans and pulling out his cell phone. She looked at the screen and realized that it was dead, the device useless to him at that point.

"Come on, I'll get you my phone." She offered, knowing that he wanted to keep this phone call as private and off the books as possible. If he was overheard on the hospital's line then who knew what would happen, no, when it came to the supernatural, it was better to use private lines.

She slipped out of his hold and took off in a brisk walk towards the lounge just down the hall. Jordan fell in stride behind her and when she punched in the code for the 'employee's only' door, he followed her right in and waited as she surged forward, grabbing her purse from the cubby and digging out her phone.

Jordan smiled his appreciation at her as she set the device in his waiting palm, then he took a firm hold of it, dialed the number that he needed to get through too and lifted it up to his ear. Ryan was watching his every move and after half a minute of him with the phone against his ear, he pulled it away and let out a frustrated growl.

"What?" She asked in a near whisper. "What's wrong?"

"No answer. God dammit!"

"Hey, hey just calm down, okay?" She tried to reason with him but Jordan was too panicked to submit. He had never been this upset in all the time that she had known him, which only served to remind her that whatever was going on must be important to him, or else he wouldn't have cared as much as he did.

"You need to stay here until Argent's out of surgery. As soon as he's awake, you call me, I'll be down right away."

Jordan made a move to turn away but she latched on to his wrist and held him in front of her. He turned his attention towards her and sucked in an anxious breath.

"Where are you going?" She asked, her voice small and scared, clearly afraid of what he was going to be doing in between that minute and the second that Chris Argent woke up.

"I'm going to go dig out my arsenal of personal weapons Ry, I have a feeling that things are about to get messy and I don't want to not be prepared." He answered confidently and she remained frozen in her place, her grip on his arm faltering though. "You should call your dad, make sure that Kylie's in good hands too."

"Yeah." She breathed the word out and found her throat closing up on her from nerves. She didn't like his tone, she didn't like the way he was acting. If he was claiming that things were going to get messy, then where did that leave her and what was she supposed to do if anything happened to _him_?

He hesitated and looked into her eyes, which were shiny from the tears welling up there, wondering what was going through her head. He knew that it wasn't good, she couldn't have liked his answer, but what other choice did he have? This was important; this meant doing what he had to do to protect other people. If she didn't get that, then what more could he possibly say to convince her?

"I love you." She sighed and Jordan stiffened at her words. Oh, right, if he was going to go running into a situation he was entirely sure of, then the least he could do was tell her how he felt. After all, he had promised that he wasn't going to end up like Cole.

"I love you too." Jordan relaxed and closed the distance between their bodies, enveloping her into a tight hug. "I love you so much. Don't ever doubt that."

She nodded her head solemnly and let him pull away from her. Jordan threw her one last reassuring smile before he disappeared back out into the hallway, leaving her alone in the lounge.

"Be safe Jordan, whatever you do." She whispered to herself and made a move to put her phone away.

All she could do now was wait until Chris Argent returned back from the operating room and woke up, and then maybe she'd get to lay her eyes on Jordan one more time that day before everything went off the rail.

She didn't know how bad the storm was going to be but she knew that it was coming, and it wasn't going to pass by without leaving some form of destruction in its wake.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _For the third and final time, for all of you fans of my Peter/OC series, I just posted a special Christmas story that you should definitely check out. Ryan makes a brief cameo in the 3rd chapter as well._**

 ** _Uh oh! Things are heating up for sure. Wasn't it nice to see Chris?_**

 ** _Thank you again to my ever appreciated reviewers A and poorxbrokexcollegexkid, and sarahmichellegellarfan1!_**

 ** _sarahmichellegellarfan1: They are definitely amazing together :)_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Like a hulked out Jordan versus mutant beast Peter, ultimate showdown for sure_**

 ** _A: You're right, she'd probably just give it to Peter straight. She'd probably assume that since Derek would never hurt her that he wouldn't either and frankly, I don't know that he would lol._**


	40. Chapter 40

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 40:_**

She hadn't wanted to take her break, not when Jordan had seemed so desperate for Chris Argent to wake back up, but Ryan had to put herself first for at least a few minutes. She headed into the lounge with the intention of calling her dad, who was looking after Kylie while she was at work, and maybe get a feel for how the two of them were doing at home.

When Jordan had announced that he was going to go and dig out his arsenal of personal weapons, she wasn't sure if that meant he was going to the house, where they could easily be hidden away in a few of the boxes of his that were residing in the basement; or if he was going back to his apartment, which wasn't quite cleared out yet, the bigger pieces of furniture still remained there. Either way, if she could get a hold of her dad, she could ask him if he'd seen Jordan at all since she had left for work.

If her dad hadn't seen Jordan since she left for work, well then at least she could breathe easy, assuming that meant that Jordan wasn't actually storying his 'arsenal of personal weapons' in her home. But did that mean that once he was officially moved out of his apartment that they'd be moved over too? Would she have that sort of thing in her house where it was possible that Kylie could get to it?

Sucking in a breath, she debated how she truly felt about the idea of having guns in her home. Maybe he wasn't talking specifically about guns but it was the easiest place for her to start. Having some sort of firearm could potentially come in handy if someone, or something, ever decided to go after her family while they were home but at the same time, it meant more danger for the people in the house.

Cole had always been particular when it came to his weapons. When he arrived home from work, he locked his gun and badge up in the safe that was hidden on one of the higher shelves in the living room, which meant that Kylie wouldn't be able to reach it on her own, if she had ever really noticed it at all to start with.

Jordan on the other hand had become rather diligent at leaving his gun in the car, where she suspected he had a lock box of his own. If he could start following the same protocol that Cole had put in place, then maybe having weapons in her home wouldn't be such a bad idea after all.

She knew how to fire a gun, she knew what was required, Cole had made sure of that shortly after he had started his courses in law school. If Cole hadn't taken it upon himself to teach Ryan, then she knew that her father would have. He had been waiting until Ryan felt ready before taking her to the gun range, as luck would have it, Cole had gotten her there first.

The other thing that Ryan considered was that her father had a gun of his own and she knew it was in a safe too, although the exact location of that safe she wasn't entirely aware of, all she figured was that it was in his basement, locked in the same room as he kept his tools. Yes, overall, Ken was very familiar with weapons and children and Ryan had every bit of faith in her father possible. But Jordan wasn't her father and he didn't know how she felt about weapons, hell _she_ didn't know how she truly felt about them either, but this was clearly a wakeup call. At some point, she was going to have to talk to him about stashing weapons in the house, especially with a three-year-old running around.

Pushing the idea of guns to the back of her mind, Ryan relaxed against the couch in the lounge and grabbed her cell phone out of her purse. She stared at the screen and quickly dialed the number to her house. Sure her dad had a cell phone of his own but chances were good that it wasn't necessarily on him, but the house phone, he'd definitely hear that.

She rested the phone against her ear and let out a small sigh, waiting for her dad to pick up. After a few rings, he did just that and spoke to her with a cheery tone.

"Hey there Ry-pie, how's my little girl doing tonight?" Ken asked and she didn't have to see his face to know he was smiling, she could just hear it in his voice.

"I'm okay, I guess. Ready to come home though, which sucks because it's nowhere near the end of my shift." She said sadly and felt her mind drifting to the thought of seeing Kylie once she was done at work. A small smile broke out on her face at the mental image of her daughter, who could almost always brighten her day.

"Yeah, I hear you. Just wait until you get to retire, now that's where it's at." Her dad teased and Ryan scoffed at him. Yes, she knew all about how nice he thought it was when he retired, he had made sure she knew that retiring was the best thing he ever did. Not only did it give him the freedom to do more of what he wanted but it also gave him the freedom to spend more time with her. Then when Kylie came along, he had been quick to admit that he was looking forward to watching her whenever he could.

"That's not happening for a while." She grumbled and dropped down onto her side, laying on the couch as she continued to talk to him. "Unless I win the lottery."

"You don't even play the lottery Ry." Ken chuckled and she let her eyes fall shut, imaging herself with all the money that she _could_ be winning, _if_ she played the lottery. She didn't have a lot of money to spend on items outside of kids' stuff, which meant that she wasn't going to play the lottery, not religiously anyway. Maybe on occasion she'd pick up a ticket if she really thought about it but she knew that luck wasn't on her side, if it was, she might not have been living without Cole.

"Fair point." She sighed. "Anyways, I called to see how you and my baby are doing?"

"We're good here. She's behaving for the most part, before you called her and I were reading."

"Hmm, that sounds really nice." Ryan let out a breath and considered how nice it would be for her to be able to spend all the time in the world with her baby girl.

Maybe at some point, _if_ her and Jordan ever got married, she would be able to take some time off, re-evaluate her life and try to find a more flexible job but that all hinged on how far she was willing to go with Jordan, as well as how far he was willing to go with her.

It wasn't like they had discussed anything more than being in a relationship, he was moving into her place, which counted for something. That being said, they hadn't spent all that much time together, at least not enough to warrant her thinking about marrying the man. Even if it _was_ a possibility, was it something she even wanted?

Cole's death had ruined her in a lot of ways, emotionally she was broken, physically she had been exhausted and mentally she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. Would she even want to get married again knowing how her last marriage hand ended? Would she find it embarrassing to tell people that she was on her second marriage at the young age of twenty-four? There were all sorts of unanswered questions and at that moment, Ryan knew she shouldn't even be thinking about them.

"Are you okay?" Ken questioned, pulling her back to reality. He could've easily guessed that something was bothering her by her tone, her dad just seemed to know when she was bothered by something.

"I don't know." She let out a sigh of frustration and curled up into a ball on the couch. "I'm just so tired of everything lately."

"Ryan, I promise you that things won't always be this chaotic. Eventually everything will settle down. Once your deputy fella is all moved in, you can focus on getting the house organized, maybe fall into a routine between the three of you. Whatever's on your mind, I swear it won't look so daunting in the morning."

"Dad." She whined but felt herself relaxing the tiniest little bit at his words.

"Daughter." Ken shot back, his tone mimicking hers. "Ryan, come on, if there's something really bothering you, you can always talk to me about it."

"I know." She huffed. "I guess I'm just confused right now. Maybe everything happened too fast and now it's all catching up with me."

The line fell silent and for a few seconds, she wasn't sure if he was still there. When a low whistle erupted in her ear, she knew that her dad hadn't gone anywhere, he was right there with her.

"I think the only person who can really decide that is you. I can tell you this though, that deputy has done you, and Kylie, a world of good. He's brought you back from that dark cloud that Cole's death put over you, he's given you that extra little bounce in your step, Ryan, he's good for you, he's good for Kylie."

"Is that you trying to pawn me off on someone else?" She grumbled and he let out a single bark of laughter. "Dad, seriously?"

"I will _always_ be here for you and Kylie but that doesn't mean that I can't want my daughter to be happy. Maybe I've set a bad example for you by not really getting involved with anyone else after your mom passed away but that doesn't mean that you can't move on. Cole wouldn't want you to spend the rest of your life miserable and trust me, I can see how happy that deputy makes you."

Ryan held her breath and took his words to heart. Cole wouldn't have wanted her to be miserable, he would've wanted her to be happy, whether that meant being alone or finding another man to love. She could only imagine how much Cole would approve of Jordan, he was smart, strong, protective, he was already in Kylie's good books.

"I just don't want to forget Cole." She confessed in a soft voice and felt the tears welling up in her eyes. Opening her lids, she looked out at the empty lounge and quickly sat up, twisting her body so that she was sideways on the couch, her one arm draped across the back. "I don't want Kylie to forget him either."

"Well, you could always put some of those pictures back up, the ones with Cole _in_ them. That's a good place to start."

"I know." She sighed. "That's hard though."

"I'm not disagreeing with you. Maybe you're not quite ready for pictures _just_ yet but at least consider it Ryan. It's the best way for Kylie to remember him because trust me, three-year-olds aren't always the best at memory recollection. Just wait until she's your age, I guarantee you that she'll barely be able to recall Cole at all."

"Dad don't-"

"It's true. Just like you being able to remember your mother. You don't, except for the pictures and the things I told you about her. If I were you, I'd give Kylie the opportunity to see Cole in photos right this very minute, while he's still fresh in her head."

"I love you dad." She whispered and dropped her gaze down to her legs. "You have a point."

"I love you too Ryan. Now, was there a real reason you called me or were you just hoping to brainstorm?" He teased, hoping to cheer her up a little bit. As with any parent, he wasn't all that fond of seeing, or hearing, his baby sad.

"I uh, yeah, Jordan's not there is he?" She asked and straightened up, getting right back to business.

"Nope."

"Has he been there at all since I left for work?"

"Not even for a second, why?"

"He came in a little while ago, brought an injured man in with him, then he took off claiming he needed to get his arsenal together. He said that he had a feeling things were going to get messy." Ryan explained and she heard Ken take a sharp intake of breath. "Dad, if he shows up there and tells you to do something, do it, okay?"

"I always respect the instructions of authority." Ken countered calmly.

"Right, well, then if he _does_ show up, can you just, I don't know, I mean I can't have my phone with me so it's not like he can call me…"

"I can tell him that you love him, that's something I can do."

"Yeah?"

"Only if you want me to." Ken added quickly, sensing that Ryan was still a little off her game.

"Yes, yes please. Tell Jordan that I love him and if he shows up in the next ten minutes, then you can tell him to call me."

"Got it." Ken stated firmly. "Anything else Ry-pie?"

Ryan sucked in a nervous breath and carefully considered her next words, "make sure Kylie's safe."

"Is she in danger?"

"I don't know dad, I just…something doesn't feel right and I know that you'll do whatever it takes to make sure she's okay."

"You know it."

"Okay, okay good. I love you dad."

"I love you too Ry."

"I'll see you later."

"Sure thing, goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Pulling the phone away from her ear, she glanced down at the screen and held her breath. She hadn't been lying when she said that something didn't feel right, but she didn't know if it meant that her family was in danger or if it was just Jordan who seemed to be the source of her uneasy feelings. With a shake of her head, she tried to let her body relax and focus on what she was supposed to be doing.

She was still at work, she was on break but still on the clock. All she could do was work to pass the time and pray that the end of her shift would come soon. With that thought in her head, she stood up, off the couch, tucked her phone back into her purse and lifted her arms up into the air to stretch out her shoulders.

A loud beeping noise, which signaled an upcoming page, echoed into the lounge from the hallway and Ryan held her breath, hoping that she didn't have to leave the room just yet.

When a voice, muffled by a bit of static, announced that her presence was being requested in Recovery Room Three, she let out a groan and shut her eyes, squeezing them tight with the hopes that when she opened them, everything would have just been a dream.

When she _did_ finally open them, she was rather disappointed to find herself still in the lounge. Without putting it off anymore, she took off for Recovery Room Three. The only thought running through her head as she maneuvered down the hall was that she hoped she'd be calling Jordan with good news and not to tell him that Chris Argent hadn't made it through surgery.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

He had been in the middle of gathering his personal guns into a duffel bag when his phone sounded out in his nearly empty apartment. Jordan had been quick to answer and when Ryan informed him that Chris Argent was out of surgery and semi-lucid, he had debated whether or not to rush right back to the hospital or spend another few minutes loading up his duffel bag.

Knowing that there were dangerous supernatural creatures lurking around Beacon Hills, Jordan figured that it was best not to take any chances and with that thought in his head, he took an extra few minutes and threw extra bullets, plus an extra handgun, into the bag. Then he had grabbed hold of his bowie knife and set it in on top.

He wasn't sure what he was preparing for but with one look at the bag, he figured it was basically a war. He was heading into a war and at that very minute, he had no idea who, or what, he was up against, which is precisely why he needed Chris Argent's help as much as he did.

The drive to the hospital had seemed like it took twice as long as it should've, with each passing second the worry within Jordan grew. What would happen if he arrived at the hospital too late and Chris was out cold? What if something happened to the man after the surgery that left him severely wounded, or worse, dead? He needed this man, he needed him to survive and he needed his help to get to the bottom of what was going on.

Jordan needed to know what had happened to him in the sewer, he was desperate to find out how Peter Hale had gotten the upper hand, especially considering Chris Argent would most likely have had the element of surprise.

He haphazardly parked his car in the parking lot, grabbed the duffel bag full of guns and bullets and threw it into the trunk, hoping that he wouldn't be too long in the hospital. As soon as the trunk was shut, he pushed the automatic lock button and smirked at the sound of the beeping sounding out signalling that everything was secure. Within a second, he was rushing towards the front doors to the hospital and when he stepped inside, the first person he set his eyes on was Ryan.

She looked terrified, shy even and when he cautiously approached her, setting his palm on her shoulder from behind, she jerked and spun around to look at him.

"You okay?" He asked and silently hoped that she was fine. There were bigger things to worry about but he knew enough to check on her too.

"No, no I am not okay." She fired back at him and Jordan lifted his hand away from her, holding it up, palm facing her, in an act of admitting defeat. "You come in here with a guy who has a hole through his body and then take off claiming that things are going to get messy! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Hey, whoa, I didn't mean to…I'm sorry if I scared you." His voice turned soft and he watched as her glare on him subsided a little bit.

He hadn't really considered her feelings, he didn't have time to, but now he was seeing the damage that he had caused. She was scared, she was confused but most importantly, she was worried.

Worried for her family, worried for him, it didn't matter. He hadn't given her two more minutes of his time to promise her that she didn't _have_ to worry and here she was glaring at him with tears welling up in her eyes. His heart dropped at the sight of her and before she could say anything else, or object to his next move, he lurched forward and wrapped his arms around her, taking her into a tight embrace with the silent promise that he was going to protect her, and her family.

"Ryan, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." He whispered and pressed a kiss against the top of her head. She brought her arms up and gripped him back, hugging him tight too as he began gently rocking them back and forth. "Nothing's going to happen to you, I swear and nothing's going to happen to Kylie or your dad either."

"What about you?" She asked and reluctantly peeled her body away from his, putting just enough space between their bodies so that she could see his face. "Nothing's going to happen to you either, right?"

He met her gaze and lifted a hand up, running his fingers along her jaw in an attempted act of comfort. She leaned in to his touch and let her eyes fall shut.

"Not if I can help it." He murmured in response. "Do you believe me?"

"Yes." She took her bottom lip in between her teeth and stepped out of his hold completely. She took hold of his hand and turned down the hallway, dragging him along behind her as she led him in the direction of Recovery Room Three.

Ryan stopped outside of a doorway and gently shoved him through it, Jordan's eyes falling on a conscious Chris argent.

She let go of his hand and followed him in, gently shutting the door behind her. He was awake, which was good news, and he seemed okay, aside from the giant white bandage covering the hole in his stomach.

"He's already informed the doctor that he'll be signing himself out." Ryan stated and shot a pointed look in Chris' direction. "Much to the hospital's dismay."

"I told you, I'm fine." Chris argued and swung his legs to the side, Jordan stepping closer to him and offering him a hand so that he could more easily get himself to his feet. "I don't have time to lay here."

"First of all _sir_ , you're not fine but honestly, if you think you're ready to go home, do what you want. Contrary to popular belief, I'm not going to fight to keep you here." She fired back at him, clearly a little perturbed by the entire situation. "I only wanted you to stick around long enough so that Deputy Parrish here could get a chance to talk to you about what the hell happened."

Chris immediately turned his attention to Jordan and wrapped his hands around Jordan's arms, using him as a crutch as he painfully made his way to the edge of the bed. Ryan leaned her back against the door and stared at the two males in front of her, wondering what the hell was so urgent that the man, who had just gotten out of surgery, needed to leave for.

"Did you warn him? Did you warn Scott?" Chris asked in a low tone.

"I tried, I couldn't get through to him."

"We need to go." Chris hissed and planted his feet on the floor. Jordan stood still and let the man use him as a support he rose up to his full height, feeling the injury strain and pull with each movement he made. "Mexico, I have people who can help us."

"You want to up and go to Mexico right after getting out of surgery?" Ryan spoke up and moved forward, standing just behind Jordan, who was maneuvering to the side so that he could slip an arm around Chris and help him get ready.

"I have to help them." Chris retorted and Ryan narrowed her eyes in on him.

"You can barely move!" She shouted, surprising everyone in the room, including herself. "What the hell is wrong with you two!?"

"People's lives are at stake." Chris countered, but his voice was still fairly calm in comparison to hers.

"So is yours! God! This is ridiculous!" She yelled and threw her hands up into the air in frustration. "This is total bullshit."

"Peter Hale was waiting for me in the sewers and he wasn't alone." Chris stated, an ominous tone to his voice.

"Who was he with?" Jordan sidled up next to the man and walked right along beside him as they moved over to the chair where his clothes were folded and waiting.

"Not who, but what. He was with a berserker-"

"What?" Ryan screamed. "What in the holy flying fuck is a berserker?"

"There's no time to explain, we have to get out of here, we have to get to Scott." Chris argued and Ryan simply backed up, letting the backs of her knees hit the bed before she collapsed.

She was reduced to watching as Jordan helped the man get into his clothes, a silence in the room that was obviously uncomfortable. She didn't know what was going on, she didn't understand what a berserker was and she certainly didn't like the idea of Jordan going off to Mexico with a man he barely seemed to know, who was the same man that had _just_ gotten out of surgery because a piece of metal rod had been driven right through his body.

When the two men were ready to take off, Ryan shook her head and let out a whimper, which immediately drew Jordan's attention towards her. He studied her for a few seconds, gave Chris a pat on the back to signal he could go ahead and then Jordan dropped down into a crouch in front of her, his palms resting on the tops of her thighs.

"I'll be back as soon as I can." He said in a soft tone and she fought off the urge to cry.

"You can't promise that though." She pointed out and he dropped his eyes down to look at the floor. She definitely had a point, it was getting harder and harder for him to maintain that he wasn't going to let anything bad happen to himself.

"But I can promise that I'll love you, always." He countered and lifted his head back up, meeting her tear filled eyes. She blinked, forcing the tears to cascade down her cheeks and he was quick to lift one of his hands up and brush them away.

"I love _you_." She replied and he slowly rose up to his full height, slipping an arm around her waist and bringing her up with him.

He pulled her flush against his chest and her hands grabbed hold of the collar of his jacket. She leaned against him and he moved forward, gently pressing his lips against hers. Ryan reciprocated and let her body relax in his hold and when he pulled away, she sucked in a shaky breath.

"Don't worry Ryan, I'll be back."

She remained standing as he peeled himself away from her and then heading towards the door. He paused just inside of it and glanced back at her, saying a silent prayer for both of them. She forced a sad smile onto her face, lifted her hand up and waved at him as he surged forward, disappearing into the hallway.

She squeezed her eyes shut and hoped that she'd see him again soon because she wasn't sure if she'd be able to handle it if he didn't come back to her at all.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _And here we see Ryan sort of trying to help but being reluctant to do so. Do you think she reacted appropriately to the situation? And how about Parrish being a little bit badass?_**

 ** _Thank you again to my ever appreciated reviewers A and poorxbrokexcollegexkid, and sarahmichellegellarfan1!_**

 ** _sarahmichellegellarfan1: Was this chapter as great as the last?  
_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: I totally agree, Parrish and Argent should be like a permanent partnership  
_**

 ** _A: They're so cute worrying about the other. I hope you continue to read and enjoy and their relationship is far from smooth sailing  
_**


	41. Chapter 41

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 41:_**

Ryan was totally and completely exhausted when she walked in the front door of her house carrying a pizza but she knew she wasn't going to be sleeping very well at all that night, not until Jordan was safe in her arms and back from his impromptu trip to Mexico with Chris Argent, the man who should've been lying in a hospital bed recuperating. She wasn't even sure what the hell had happened because as soon as Chris was awake, Jordan had gone with him, the two of them disappearing before she could say anything more than 'I love you'. There was hardly any reassurances exchanged between them and Ryan was terrified that that was going to have been the last time that she laid eyes on him.

Now all she could do was hope that Kylie and her dad would keep her distracted enough to pass the time until he came home, that was _if_ he even came home at all, which was the most terrifying thought running around in her head.

She had lost a husband already once before, she didn't want to lose Jordan too, but that was a very real possibility, especially when he was dealing with supernatural creatures as well as human beings. He had rushed off without thinking things through thoroughly and now she had no idea when he was going to be home, or how long he was even planning to be gone for; or, for that matter, where exactly in Mexico he was heading to. Was this just a quick trip right across the border? Should she expect him back in the next day or two, or was this a hunt, was this going to take some time, more than a few days, more than a week? She had no idea and not knowing was the hardest part of it all.

As soon as she closed the front door behind her though, Kylie, who was in Ken's arms, smiled brightly at her, the two of them moving in closer to Ryan and letting Kylie give her mother a kiss on the very tip of her nose, which was something that Ryan was truly grateful for.

When Kylie leaned back and pulled away from Ryan, she beamed at her, then she tapped the top of the pizza box ever so slightly, her eyes lighting up at the prospect of what was inside.

"Pizza for me?" She asked in a sweet little voice and Ryan couldn't help but smile at her. Maybe Kylie would easily distract her, so far she was doing a wonderful job and she had just gotten home.

"What if I only got pizza for me and grandpa?" Ryan countered with a teasing tone and Kylie's eyes went wide.

"What?" Kylie gasped and lifted a hand up, covering her mouth in the process. "What am I supposed to have for supper then?"

Ryan contemplated her answer for a few seconds before a wicked grin broke out over her face, "broccoli, lots and lots of broccoli."

"Ew!" Kylie groaned and threw her hands into the air in exasperation. "But I want pizza!"

Ken gave her side a ticklish squeeze and Kylie erupted into a fit of giggles. Ryan shook her head at the two and made a move to step towards the kitchen, pausing only when Kylie let out an objective 'no'. Ryan immediately turned her attention back to her little girl and smirked.

"You're lucky, I may have gotten an extra slice or two for you, no broccoli tonight but be warned, you'll be getting double broccoli tomorrow." Ryan stated and Kylie yipped with excitement over the pizza but then stuck her tongue out at the prospect of more vegetables the following day.

Ken and Kylie fell in stride behind her and Ryan led the charge into the kitchen, setting the box of pizza on the table before heading right for the cupboards with the intention of nabbing dishes.

When she opened the cupboard with the plates in it, she paused and glanced back, spotting Ken strapping Kylie into her booster seat. With another smile crossing her face, Ryan focused her attention back on getting the plates out of the cupboard, grabbing three of them before heading over to the table and setting them down there. She headed back to the cupboards, grabbed two glasses and Kylie's plastic sippy cup and then made her way towards the fridge.

"Just water for me Ry-pie." Ken announced and Ryan nodded that she heard him, her ears perked as he pulled a chair across the floor before dropping down to sit in it with a groan. "The little devil would like fruit juice."

"The little devil?" Ryan cocked her head to the side, opened the fridge, nabbed the carton of fruit juice and the plastic pitcher of water, and then headed over to the table, setting everything down on the surface next to the plates. "What'd she do this time?"

"Nothing too bad, she just ran away from me when it was time to wash her hands for lunch." Ken explained and leveled a glare on Kylie, who was staring at him with wide eyes, wondering what she could do to keep herself out of trouble at this point in time.

"Oh Kylie." Ryan sighed but sat down in one of the empty chairs, not bothering to press the issue any further at that moment in time.

Ken lifted the top of the pizza box and started dishing out slices while Ryan worked on filling up the glasses, paying special attention to Kylie's sippy cup. When the lid was on nice and tight, she slid it across the table and left it in front of Kylie, right within her reach. As soon as Ken had all three plates full, he nabbed his own slice and lifted it up, pausing to look at Ryan before even considering taking a bite.

"No Deputy tonight?" Ken questioned and Ryan froze. She leaned back in her chair and sucked in an anxious breath before crossing her arms over her chest and wondering what exactly she was supposed to tell him, or Kylie for that matter.

"He's going to Mexico." Ryan answered vaguely and her dad just stared at her. He set his pizza down on the plate, sensing that the conversation was going to require all of his focus. He stole a quick glance at Kylie, who was picking off the pepperoni and eating them, but then he turned his attention right back to his own daughter.

"What's in Mexico?" Ken asked in a hushed tone, hoping that Kylie wouldn't pay much attention to them, especially not if Ryan looked like she was about ready to break down.

"Scott McCall. He's going to try and keep him safe. Look, I don't really want to talk about it, okay, I just want to get through dinner and then pretend that everything's fine." Ryan groaned and dropped her forehead down, resting it against the edge of the table. "I want him home!"

"Ryan, he'll be back." Ken countered and reached his hand out, gently patting her on the arm. "He's a trained law enforcement officer and I vaguely remember him mentioning that he was over in Afghanistan, I think he can handle himself in Mexico."

Ryan sucked in a breath and lifted her head up, locking her eyes on her father. She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to keep the tears that were welling up in her eyes from escaping. She didn't want Kylie to see her cry, then she'd ask what was wrong and Ryan didn't feel like explaining everything to a three-year-old. Kylie wouldn't understand it all anyways and Ryan certainly wasn't in the mood to try and help her get it.

Ken looked between his two girls and let out a sigh, wondering what the hell he was going to do to keep Ryan from falling apart in front of her daughter. If she fell apart, Kylie would need to be taken care of and as willing as he was to do that, he also knew that Kylie needed her mother as much as she possibly could.

"I just want to spend the night with Kylie, maybe she'll even let me paint her nails?" Ryan threw on an expression of enthusiasm and looked right at Kylie, who stopped dead in her movements, a pepperoni hanging from her lips, as she started grinning at her mother

"I want to paint your nails too!" Kylie shrieked, the pepperoni falling from her lips and down to the seat of her booster chair. "Oh please mommy, pretty please?"

"Only if you're a good girl during dinner." Ryan fixed her daughter with a pointed look. "Okay? Does that sound fair?"

Kylie nodded her head yes and looked over at her grandpa, who was smiling right back at her. Apparently he wasn't going to be pushing her devilish behaviour anymore and with Ryan already promising to let her paint her nails if she behaved through dinner, well there wasn't much that was going to get Kylie in a sour mood.

"Now, did you want me to stick around a little longer tonight?" Ken piped up and Ryan looked from Kylie to her dad. "I can, if you want me too."

"Yeah, I want you to stay a little longer." Ryan nodded her head and forced a smile on her face, the tears in her eyes slowly dissipating with each passing second.

"I love when grampy stays too!" Kylie called out and the two grown-ups just laughed at her.

Yes, so far Kylie was doing a great job at distracting her, she just hoped that it would carry on through the night and for as long as it took until Jordan got home, only then would Ryan be able to stop worrying about him.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

The sun had gone down an hour or so earlier and now Ryan sat at the kitchen table beside Kylie as she moved the nail polish brush across her little girl's nails. Ken was sitting across from them, the newspaper open on the table and his eyes scanning over the words. Kylie was swinging her legs back and forth in her booster seat while Ryan dragged the brush across her pinky nail, which was the last finger that needed to be painted.

Ryan put the nail polish lid back on the bottle and screwed it on tight, looking down at her daughter's bright purple nails with a smile. Kylie gazed up at her mother and when Ryan gave her an encouraging nod, Kylie lifted her hands up and began blowing on her fingers in order to help the polish dry faster.

"So pretty!" Kylie squealed with delight and waved her hands in the air, watching the polish catch the light and sparkle as she moved. "My turn mommy?"

Ryan grabbed hold of the deep navy blue polish that she had picked out for herself but at the last minute, she moved her hand over and grabbed the translucent light pink colour, which wouldn't stain her cuticles as badly as the blue, making it much easier to hide Kylie's paint job later on. She shook it a few times and then handed it over to Kylie, who grabbed it excitedly and twisted the cap off.

Watching carefully as Kylie pulled the brush out of the nail polish, Ryan sucked in a breath and held it, hoping that she'd get more of it on her nails and not so much on her fingers. Seeing as Kylie was only three though, Ryan had very little faith that she would actually be able to go to bed without having to pick nail polish off her fingertips.

Ken set down his paper and watched with a grin as Kylie moved the brush towards Ryan's hand, which was splayed out on the surface of the table, a paper towel underneath her palm in case Kylie missed her hand altogether. She had long ago learned the hard way to always be prepared for anything when it came to her baby girl.

Ryan held her breath as Kylie dragged the end of the brush from her cuticle to the tip of her fingernail on her index finger. So far it wasn't so bad but on the next stroke, Ryan fought off the urge to smile. In addition to covering the left half of her nail, Kylie had also managed to get the side of her finger too, but Ryan didn't care, so long as Kylie was having fun and she was distracted enough so that she wasn't thinking about Jordan-

Jordan, who was still missing. Jordan, who had gone to Mexico earlier that day and hadn't bothered to call her or text her since he left the hospital. Jordan, the man that she loved and wanted to be with, who could easily have been in grave danger. That Jordan, the same Jordan who had successfully been off of her mind since they had started eating pizza after she had gotten home from work.

Right, Jordan Parrish. Ryan shook her head and looked down at her hands, scrunching up her nose at the sight of all of her fingernails covered in the pink polish. Streak marks were very obvious on her nails and polish was shimmering on the skin surrounding the nails as well. She fought off the urge to groan and instead just enjoyed the time she was spending with Kylie.

"That's very pretty." Ken remarked and when Ryan looked over at him, she could clearly see him trying to fight off the urge to laugh.

"You're next grampy." Kylie shot back with such a casual tone that Ryan couldn't help but break out into laughter of her own. She laughed so loud that Kylie had stopped all her movements and held the brush over Ryan's nails. "What's so funny mommy?"

Ken shook his head at the two of them and watched Ryan struggling to get the words out between her laughter. She could barely speak though and just shook her head at Kylie, hoping that that would be enough to let the little girl know that nothing in particular was very funny at all.

"I think once you're done painting mommy's nails that it's bath time and then bed time. See you won't have time to paint my nails." Ken responded and Ryan scoffed at him.

"We can make an exception tonight, right Ky-pie?" Ryan looked right at her little girl and bit down on her bottom lip to keep herself from grinning like a madwoman. "You were good during pizza, I'll let you stay up a little later than usual and you can paint grandpa's nails, so long as you promise not to put up a fuss when it comes to bath time."

Kylie looked from her mother to her grandfather and raised both of her eyebrows. It was clear to see that she was contemplating the offer and within a few seconds she was nodding her head yes with the biggest smile on her face that Ryan had ever seen.

"What colour grampy?" Kylie asked and focused her attention right back on painting Ryan's other hand. "Pink? Purple? Blue?"

"Do you have an orange?" Ken asked right back and looked at the small basket of nail polish bottles residing in the middle of the table. "Or green?"

"Yes! Can I do both? One hand orange and one hand green?" Kylie asked and brought her attention over to her grandpa, looking at him with wide, wonder filled eyes. "Or I can do one green, one orange, like a pattern!?"

"Whatever you want Ky-pie." Ken responded with a shake of his head, wondering to himself what he had done to deserve such girly torture when all of a sudden, an idea occurred to him. "You can do my toes instead, how's that sound?"

"Ew, stinky feet." She shook her head no furiously and Ken couldn't help but laugh at her. He picked his newspaper back up and started reading it once again. Ryan grinned at her baby girl and when Kylie finally looked at her, with a grin of her own, she couldn't help but feel a little bit better about her night.

So maybe Jordan wasn't there with them, maybe it was time for some mother/daughter bonding time, there wasn't much that could've been any better.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Ryan was still a little nervous even after she had helped her dad tuck Kylie in. She had kissed her dad goodbye and sent him on his way home and then she had taken up in her own bedroom, successfully stripping the bed and putting the sheets in the washer. If she wasn't going to be sleeping, she was at least going to be productive and the first thing on her 'to do' list was to change her bed. The second thing on her list was to go through the baskets and small boxes on the top of her dresser.

She had already gone through her hair accessories basket and had gathered up some colourful ponytail holders as well as few old headbands for Kylie to use later. She had then cleaned her brushes of the hair that still resided in them and even wiped out the baskets with a sanitary wipe. She grabbed the larger than average jewelry box off the dresser and wandered over to her bed, sitting down on the comforter which was half on the bed and half on the floor.

She crossed her legs and placed the box in front of her on the bed, then she carefully lifted up the lid on the jewelry box and sucked in a breath.

"Oh god." She murmured to herself and shook her head, wondering what the hell she was doing. She knew that the box contained jewelry that Cole had given her, she was aware of that before she even picked up the box, but here and now, sitting in front of the box, she felt her entire body stiffening at the thought of what else she might find inside.

She grabbed the top level and lifted it out, setting the inner tray of the box on the bed next to her. Then she gently reached in and pulled out the sterling silver charm bracelet that Cole had bought for their first anniversary all those years ago. There was a diamond in the shape of a heart dangling from the bracelet and when she lifted it up to get a better look at it, a silver heart dangled from the other side, words engraved there in fancy script.

Ryan held her breath and gripped the heart tag in between her index finger and thumb, then she flipped it over and looked at the words that Cole had gotten engraved there: ' _Ryan, my one and only'_. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to think happy thoughts but the only thing that was going through her mind was how utterly excited Cole had been to give her the bracelet.

It hadn't been anything fancy, in fact, they hadn't even gone out. The two of them were still in school and he had made her dinner before presenting her with a long, thin, black velvet box, which had contained the bracelet. Ryan had cried back then when she had taken it out of the box and let him secure it on her wrist and now she was fighting off the urge to break down and bawl again.

When she opened her eyes, she quickly set the bracelet back in the box and pulled her hands back, resting them against her thighs.

"You can do this." She muttered to herself and continued to stare at the box, as though it was her enemy. She reached in and grabbed hold of a gold locket that had once belonged to her mother. Her father had given it to her when she was a teenager and knew enough to take care of it. Ryan had cherished it even to that day but she had stopped wearing it when she started working at the hospital, afraid that it might get lost or broken while she was at work.

Setting the necklace back down in the box, next to the bracelet, Ryan grabbed hold of a set of rings, two of them to be exact. It was at that second that she couldn't contain the tears anymore and let them flow freely from her eyes. She slipped the rings on her left ring finger and stared down at what had once been her wedding band and engagement ring.

Cole had done an excellent job at picking out a ring without her input. She had loved the heart shaped diamond on the simple silver band the second he presented it to her and it had taken her a few months after he had died for her to even consider taking it off, once again, the item had proved to be a rude reminder that he was no longer with her.

The thought of not having Cole right there with her anymore still hurt and as the tears flowed over her cheeks, she fought off the urge to sob. She could cry, certainly, but she was going to do it quietly so that she didn't wake Kylie up.

Ryan held her breath and slipped the rings back off her finger before dropping them back into the box. She grabbed the top tray and put it back in too before gently closing the lid, effectively cutting herself off from finding any more jewelry that would bring tears to her eyes. She wasn't prepared for whatever else she might find and for that night, she was done.

She slowly lowered her body down and lay on the bed, curling into a ball and fighting off the sobs that were threatening to spill out from her body. She had lost Cole, he wasn't going to be there for her when she needed him, Kylie wasn't going to hardly remember him and now Jordan was off in Mexico and she hadn't heard from him since he left.

What the hell was she going to do with herself until he got back?

Kylie could only keep her distracted for so long and now she was sleeping, leaving Ryan alone with her thoughts, which was bad for her. She squeezed her eyes shut and pictured Cole's smiling face as he played with Kylie, her sweet baby Kylie, who had always adored her father.

When she opened her eyes, she looked around the room at the freshly painted walls and choked off a sob. She ran her hands over the comforter and finally, finally let the dreaded sound erupt from her throat. It was a heart wrenching sound, it physically hurt her to let it out, but now that she had, she sucked in a breath and waited for Kylie to call out for her. Surely a sound such as the one she had just produced would've woken up her baby.

But after a few minutes of nothing but silent tears, Ryan realized that Kylie had slept right through it. Without hesitating for a second, Ryan rolled onto her back, sprawled her limbs out and stared up at the ceiling, letting the tears spill over her cheeks. She missed Cole, she missed him with everything she had and even if Jordan made her happy and filled the hole in her heart a little bit, she knew that until he was back in her arms, she wasn't going to be sleeping.

She would revert back to nights of crying until Jordan came back around and Ryan wasn't sure that she could deal with that again. Doing it after Cole's death had nearly brought her to the brink and this time she wasn't entirely sure that there was anything that would be able to bring her back.

"Please, let him be okay." Ryan pleaded and stared at her ceiling. When no one replied, she let out another sob and hoped that her hellish ordeal of waiting would be over soon.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Jordan found himself wondering what had been going through his head when he had left the hospital earlier. Now that he was in Mexico and the sun was coming up, he wasn't entirely sure what had happened, all he knew was that it happened way too fast for him to get a grasp on anything. Seeing as things had significantly calmed down from the speeding to get to Mexico and the shoot out once he had arrived, his mind drifted to the two girls who held a special place in his heart.

The battle had been a large enough distraction that he hadn't even had a second to spare to consider the family that he had left behind in California. Bullets whizzed by him, he fired right back in the hopes that everything would die off quickly, but now that it was all over, now that there was a calm, he knew he had wrongs to right.

Ryan would be upset, that much was for certain, but what about Kylie? He wondered what Ryan would've told her, if she said anything to her at all, and if she did, how would Kylie have responded to knowing that he had taken off for a different country without even having the decency to say goodbye to a little girl? She had lost her father and there hadn't been too much stopping her from losing Jordan too, but he _had_ made it through, he had survived and he wasn't going to let them worry for too much longer.

As he leaned against the back of the black SUV, he watched the rest of the people in Mexico with him exchange words. Chris Argent was speaking to Scott, Derek Hale was talking to some US Marshal and everyone else was talking amongst themselves, but Jordan had remained silent. He had more important things on his mind, he was realizing exactly what he had done and how many people he had effectively worried with his actions.

Digging his cell phone out of his pocket, he looked at the screen and furrowed his eyebrows. If Ryan had been so concerned about him, why hadn't she tried to call him, or text him even? There were no missed calls or texts on his phone, which only served to prove to Jordan that he had screwed up, royally.

Without putting it off any longer, he dialed Ryan's cell number and hit the call button. Wandering around to the side of the SUV where no one would be able to see him, he waited for her to answer and when she did, after only two rings, he immediately felt horrible.

"You're okay?" She asked frantically and he knew that she had been crying. He could hear it in her voice, it was shaky and muffled and she sniffled way more than usual. Had he been the one to make her cry? Of course he had and silently he swore that he'd never do anything to make her cry again.

"I'm alive." Jordan sighed and turned towards the side of SUV, leaning forward and resting his free hand against the side of it. "Everyone else is alive too. Are _you_ okay?"

"Furious but yes, I'm okay." She replied anxiously and Jordan shook his head, clearly disappointed in himself for running away from her. He had responsibilities when it came to her, he loved Ryan and he adored Kylie, they were his to protect and how was he supposed to protect them if he wasn't even in the same country.

Maybe heading to Mexico hadn't been the best idea but it had felt right at the time. Looking back on it now, maybe he should've taken a little longer and explained to her what was really going on, instead of racing down south and joining a shootout where bullets were flying everywhere, nearly missing him.

Yes, maybe he had screwed up. He could only hope that at this point, Ryan was capable of forgiving him.

"I should be home later today." He said softly, giving her the opportunity to speak so that he could gage her emotional state.

"You swear?" She let out a nervous sigh and Jordan nodded his head before he realized that she couldn't actually see him.

"I'm coming right home, I promise." He murmured and let out a breath of relief. "I love you."

"Okay." She whispered back. "I'll see you when you get here."

Jordan wasn't going to press his luck. It was clear that she was mad at him and maybe she wasn't ready to tell him that she loved him back, especially after what he had done to her, but he wasn't going to ever stop telling _her_ that he loved her.

"Yes, I love you Ryan."

She took a sharp inhale of breath and paused for a few seconds, "I love you Jordan."

Even if there was a sadness in her tone, he wasn't going to question it. Without anything more said between them, Ryan hung up, letting the line go dead. Jordan stuffed his phone back into his pocket and wandered back around the end of the SUV, looking around at everyone, who were still hanging around outside the ruins of the church.

Jordan smiled to himself and leaned against the back of the SUV all the while calculating in his head how long it would take him until he got to see Ryan again. If she was mad, it didn't matter, he could fix it when he saw her, he just needed to get back to her and prove that he was okay.

He just needed to.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _We're nearing the end of season 4! Don't worry though, I have season 5 already on the go, there might be a slight hiatus until I get it up and running but it'll happen._**

 ** _How are you guys feeling about this story? Still liking it? Still enjoying?_**

 ** _Thank you to sarahmichellegellarfan1, your reviews are much appreciated!_**


	42. Chapter 42

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart (Parrish/OC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 42:_**

Kylie and Ryan had been relaxing in the living room from the minute she had gotten home from work the following day. Ken had gone home, claiming that he had things to do around the house and Ryan didn't argue with him. The man was allowed to have his own life, so long as he was a part of Kylie's, then that was all that mattered and since he had been watching Kylie all day while she worked her shift, he had done his part.

Sitting on the couch next to Kylie as Ryan read her a book, the little girl hung on every word, pointing to the pictures and explaining to her mother what was going on, she even read a few words of her own, some of the easy ones that she had learned recently. Ryan paused in her reading, leaned down and pressed a kiss against the top of Kylie's head.

"Mommy, when's Jordan going to be home?" Kylie looked up at her and Ryan just held her tighter against her side. She closed the book and set it on the cushion beside them and Kylie climbed up to sit on Ryan's knees.

"Soon Ky-pie. Mexico's pretty far away." Ryan answered and Kylie continued to stare up at her, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"Why did he go to Mexico?" Kylie asked and Ryan sucked in a breath, wondering how much she should actually tell Kylie, and then wondering how much of it Kylie would really understand.

"He went to Mexico to help people." Ryan nodded down at her little girl and hoped that her answer would suffice. "He's a deputy, that's what they do."

"How come he didn't say goodbye though?" Kylie's voice came out as more of a whimper than anything and Ryan knew that the little girl was feeling just as hurt as she was. Jordan had left so quickly that she had barely comprehended what he was doing before he was gone and until he had called her early that morning, she had been letting time pass without really thinking.

All she had wanted was for him to come back to her safe and sound and then once he was in front of them, that's when she'd express her concerns. He was allowed to do what he wanted, that wasn't the issue, the issue that she had was that he had to consider her feelings, and Kylie's too. The girl had already lost a father, Ryan wasn't sure how she'd handle losing anyone else, especially Jordan Parrish, whom she seemed to adore to pieces.

When she had asked him to move in with them, part of the reason had been because she was terrified but another part of her, a bigger part, wanted him nearby her always because she wasn't prepared to let him out of her sight without letting him know how much she cared. She wanted him in her life, she loved him and if she could sit down with him and have a civil conversation about how awful she had felt the entire time he was gone, then maybe they could work everything out.

"He had to leave really fast and he didn't have time Ky." Ryan explained softly and hoped that her daughter wouldn't be too negatively affected. "It had nothing to do with him not loving you, okay?"

"He loves me?" Kylie's eyes widened in wonder and Ryan couldn't help but smile at the joyful expression on her little girl's face. "Really?"

"Of course he does. You're an important part of his life."

"Just like you?" Kylie countered.

"Just like me." Ryan smiled down at her. "Come on Ky, why don't we get you ready for bed?"

"But mommy," Kylie whined, "can I stay up until Jordan gets back, please?"

"Oh," Ryan looked into her little girl's eyes and knew that she wasn't about to say no to her, "I guess but just for tonight, okay?"

Kylie nodded her head yes in understanding and relaxed against her mother. The two of them let a blanket of silence fall over them and Kylie let out a contented sigh. Ryan embraced her little girl tighter and just held her, loving the feeling of her in her arms. It was moments like these, where Kylie was calm and behaving, that Ryan adored. She could sit with Kylie and do nothing all day, so long as the little girl was calm too.

When a short, sharp beep was heard outside the front of the house, Kylie shot up and leapt to her feet, standing on the couch and looking towards the front door. She waited until she heard it opening and then dropped down off the couch and took off for the front door, stopping just a few feet in front of a tired and dirt covered Jordan.

"You're back!" She squealed and launched herself at him, wrapping her little arms around his knees and burying her face in his thighs. Jordan let his hands gently drop down and rest against her head, his fingers gently running through her hair. He glanced down at her and when she pulled her face away from his pants, she beamed up at him, an infectious smile present on her face, which Jordan matched with one of his own.

"Hey Ky-pie." He said softly and she reluctantly pulled her body away from his legs. Kylie stood in front of him, brought one hand up to cover her mouth and then used her other hand to poke at his legs, prodding his kneecaps, his thighs, even his shins.

He wasn't sure what she was doing but in his head, she was a kid, kids didn't always do things that made sense. He just stood there and let her poke at him, for whatever reason she felt the need to do it for. His eyes moved upwards and caught sight of Ryan, wearing an old pair of shorts and a simple navy t-shirt, but at that minute, she couldn't have looked any better to him.

Mexico had been an exhausting trip and all he wanted to do was see his family, hold them, kiss them, squeeze them and love them. When Ryan smiled at him, he knew that whatever damage he had caused could be fixed. She loved him and he loved her, there wasn't anything more to it.

"Pokey, poke." Kylie mumbled and stepped around his legs, the tip of her finger driving itself into the back of his knee and causing his leg to buckle slightly.

"What _are_ you doing?" Jordan asked, looking over his shoulder at her as she continued to poke at the back of his legs.

Kylie began giggling as he twisted his body, trying to catch her in the act. She dodged his movements and continued to poke at his legs, wherever she could, and when he dropped down to a squat without any warning, she threw her hands into the air and let out an excited shriek before going right back into her poking.

Her fingertip touched his wrist, his forearm, his shoulder, his neck, even his cheek as she continued to prod at him, laughing the entire way.

"Pokey!" She laughed and pressed her fingertip against the end of his nose, a little more gently than she had done with the rest of his body. "I'm checking you."

"Checking me?" Jordan questioned and tilted his head to the side in confusion. He let his knees drop to the floor and now he was kneeling in front of her as she made a move to poke him in the forehead. Jordan reached out and gingerly took hold of her tiny hand, stopping her from connecting with his skin.

"For booboos." Kylie stated. "Duh!"

"Booboos?" Jordan leaned in closer to her and studied her face. "Ky-pie I don't have any booboos."

Kylie pulled her hand out of his grasp and then pressed all of her fingertips against his forehead. She then flattened her hand so that her palm was residing there. Jordan's eyes never left hers as he reached out, setting his own palms on her sides and giving her a squeeze, tickling her sides.

Kylie let out a loud squeal and collapsed against his chest, squirming and wiggling as he continued to tickle her. She flailed from side to side in a dire attempt to get away from him but Jordan wrapped his arm around her middle and hugged her tight against his chest before dropping down to his side on the floor. Kylie continued to shriek and squeal and when Jordan rolled onto his beck, Kylie firmly held against his chest, he stopped tickling her, if only to catch the grin on Ryan's face as she watched them.

"Did you find any booboos Ky?" Ryan asked and took a step towards them, looking down at the two before shaking her head in amusement. Jordan was lying on his back on the floor and Kylie was lying on his chest, the two of them were stomach to stomach.

"I don't think so." She shook her head in response and carefully ran her hands over Jordan's cheeks, then she leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his chin, just in case.

"Let me up?" Jordan looked Kylie in the eye and grinned at her.

"No that's okay." She shook her head and Jordan grabbed her around her middle, holding on to her as he struggled to get to his feet while still holding her against him. Once he was standing, Kylie readjusted her hold on him and let her head gently fall against his shoulder. "Don't leave again, please?"

Jordan looked from Kylie to Ryan and narrowed his eyes in on the older woman. He sucked in a breath and knew that they were going to have to have some sort of conversation. He shouldn't have just taken off on them, not without at least calling her on the way there to explain. She had no idea what he had gotten himself into and he couldn't even begin to imagine how scared she had been before he had called her.

"I'm not going anywhere." Jordan murmured and stepped closer to Ryan, lifting up one of his arms and waving Ryan forward. She moved in closer and let his arm drape over her shoulders, drawing her close to him and hugging the two of them at the same time. "I love you girls."

"I know." Kylie mumbled and her hand ran up his chest, her fingers fidgeting with the collar on his dark jacket. "Mommy told me."

"Well I'm telling you now so that there's never any doubt." Jordan smiled at her and Kylie nodded her head against his shoulder.

"I love you Jordan." Kylie said softly and he felt his heart picking up in speed a little bit.

Having Ryan say those words to him had felt amazing but having Kylie say them was frightening. He hadn't really considered the repercussions of telling the little girl that he loved her but part of him was ready to take care of, he was ready to step up and become a bigger part of her life. Jordan wanted to be around the two of them as much as he possibly could and so long as Ryan would let him, he wanted to start to act more like a father to the girl in his arms.

When he had first laid eyes on Ryan, nothing would've been able to prepare him for what had happened between them. He had seen a good-looking nurse in a new town and that had been enough to pique his interest. Some men would've backed off as soon as they had laid eyes on Kylie but not Jordan, no, he wasn't deterred by the fact that she had a daughter. Things between them had turned out rather well in his eyes, he had found a woman that he loved who just happened to have one of the most adorable little girls on the planet. Yes, things had worked out just fine.

"It's getting kind of late for you, isn't it?' Jordan asked and looked at Kylie, who shrugged at him in response. "Maybe we should be getting you to bed?"

"I'm staying with you and mommy tonight." Kylie argued and Ryan caught the small smile on his face. Jordan nodded at her, leaned down and pressed a kiss against the top of her head. Then he followed it up by placing a kiss on Ryan's head too. "Okay?"

"Sounds good to me." Jordan whispered and Ryan glanced up at him, a sad smile on her face. Whatever she had been thinking when he had taken off, whatever she had been worried about happening, none of it mattered anymore, not now that he was right there with her. She ran her hand up his chest, feeling him out, making sure he was real and when Jordan pressed another kiss against Ryan's head, she sucked in a breath.

"Come on, let's go to bed." Ryan offered and made a move to take Kylie out of his arms, but Kylie just grasped Jordan tighter. Shaking her head, she moved out of Jordan's hold and led the way to the stairs, Jordan pausing at the front door to peel off his shoes before following her.

The three of them headed up the stairs together and when they got to the top of them, Jordan paused and set Kylie on the floor, taking her hand instead of carrying her, then he nabbed Ryan's hand too.

When they got into the bedroom, Kylie broke out into a mad dash and clambered up onto the bed, diving under the covers right in the middle of the bed. Ryan followed her lead and laid down on Kylie's right side, the two girls curling up together as Jordan make quick work of stripping out of his clothes, leaving on his boxers, before he grabbed a clean t-shirt and pulled it on. He then took up residence on Kylie's left side and ran his hand over her back in an act of comfort.

"Pokey." Kylie mumbled and jammed the tip of her finger into his side. "Poke, poke, poke."

Ryan let out a laugh at her daughter's actions and gently poked Kylie's tummy, eliciting a giggle from the girl in response. Jordan followed her lead and the two adults began tickling Kylie, her shrieks and squeals echoing in the room followed by her cries of 'stop, please' but they didn't even slow down. Ryan watched her baby girl squirming in an attempt to get away but Jordan wrapped his arms around her and held her against him, ceasing her ability to move.

"No, please! No more mommy!" Kylie pleaded but she giggled as soon as Ryan tickled her tummy one more time. Jordan released Kylie and she surged forward, burrowing down under the covers and curling up against Ryan's stomach in a ball. "No more tickling!"

"Okay!" Ryan laughed and Kylie poked her head out from under the covers, shooting both her mother and Jordan a sceptical look. She waited for a few seconds and then cautiously crawled back up towards the pillows, relaxing so that her head was resting on the one in the middle, Jordan and Ryan on either side, facing towards her.

"It's good to have you back." Kylie stated, looking right at Jordan. "Mommy's happier when you're here."

"I think I knew that." Jordan nodded his head at her and glanced over at Ryan, who had the faintest hint of a blush on her cheeks. "I think I'm happier when I'm here too."

Kylie beamed up at him and took a few seconds to get a little more comfortable, then she let out a huff and shut her eyes but not before reaching out and grabbing hold of each of their hands. Ryan looked at Jordan across the bed and smiled, he smiled right back at her and mouthed the words 'I'm sorry' and that was all she needed.

She knew that he was sorry for running off to Mexico, he was sorry for making her worry, he was sorry for leaving the two of them without any sort of explanation, but that was all she needed. There would be no conversation later, the fact that he was right there with her at that very minute was enough to let her know that he was there for her. He was right there, willing to love her, wanting to protect her, and Ryan couldn't have asked for anything more.

"I love you." Ryan said softly and Kylie giggled at her words without opening her eyes. She squeezed her little girl's hand and pressed a sweet little kiss on Kylie's cheek, hoping that she'd sleep well now that everyone was right where they were supposed to be.

"I love you too." Jordan replied and followed Ryan's lead, kissing Kylie too before relaxing in the bed.

"Stop being so mushy." Kylie whined and let out a loud yawn. Ryan looked at Jordan, Jordan looked right back at Ryan and the three of them fell silent in the bed.

He knew that these two girls were the ones he wanted to be with for the rest of his life, he loved Ryan, he loved Kylie and after his trip to Mexico, he knew he was going to do everything in his power to keep them safe.

Nothing was going to happen to them, not so long as he was around and he wasn't planning on going anywhere, anytime soon.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxxX**_

Jordan still had to go to work the following day, even if he would've preferred to spend the day with his girls. It had helped quite a bit that Ryan also had to go to work and Ken had shown up early that morning to take care of Kylie. It was when Ryan whispered that Kylie was spending the night at Ken's house that Jordan finally perked up and actually looked forward to going to work.

If Kylie was going to be at Ken's for the night, well that meant that they'd have the house to themselves and that was something that Jordan was excited for. Barring any sort of conversation about their relationship, Jordan knew that the night would end well, especially when he realized that this was the perfect opportunity for him to present Ryan with Cole's old football jersey, which he had had mounted and framed. It was ready to be hung on the wall and he hoped that she liked it because he had put a lot of thought into it, a lot of time and money too.

He loved her and he would never stop telling her that. He'd promise her that he wouldn't be taking any more impromptu road trips any time soon. He wanted Ryan, with every fibre of his being, and he'd do anything he could to make her happy.

As she crossed his mind while he sat at his desk, he couldn't help but reflect on what he had learned from Chris Argent. Werewolves, Berserkers, werejaguars: it seemed to him that there were far more supernatural creatures out there than even he could've imagined and he was one of them, but no one seemed to have any idea what he really was.

Was it something that he should be concerned about? Was he the type of creature that had the ability to lose control and go after anyone or anything that crossed his path? Would he end up hurting Ryan, or Kylie, at some point in the future because he wasn't sure of what he was?

There were far too many concerns running through his head but Jordan wasn't going to give them up for anything. If he could just figure out what he was, and then plan accordingly, maybe he'd be okay, maybe they'd all be okay.

He looked at the desk in front of him and wondered what exactly he was supposed to do now that the dead pool was over and everything seemed to be tidied up. For now, he'd just have to wait until something else came across his desk, and then he'd deal with it as best as he could. It was his job, he was going to take it seriously, this was what he wanted to do and he hoped that he could continue to work for a long time to come.

"Parrish, there's someone here to see you!" The deputy, who was working at the front desk, called out across the room, drawing his attention away from the thoughts in his head and Jordan looked over to the door to the lobby. He watched carefully as Lydia Martin stepped through the door, a book in her hand and a sweet little smile on her face.

Well this could either be good or bad and he wasn't sure which. Ryan still wasn't comfortable with the Martin girl but Jordan had done everything he could do to reassure her that she was the only one for him. It didn't matter though, Ryan still objected to him being near Lydia at every chance she got and maybe part of him secretly liked her objections, it certainly turned him on a little bit.

Jordan lifted his hand into the air and gave the deputy a wave, signaling that it was okay, this person who was here to see him was okay and everything was fine.

Lydia closed in on his desk and he turned to the side to allow himself to get a better look at her. She stepped up and stood beside him flipping the book back and forth in her hand.

"This used to be on a hard drive but we eventually decided it might be a good idea to have a hard copy around so we put it in a book." Lydia explained and set the book down on the desk in front of him. She then leaned against the edge of the desk and looked down at the cover, Jordan following her gaze and taking in the sight of what she had just given him.

"What is it?" Jordan asked and looked back up at her, hoping that she'd answer his question.

"It's called the Bestiary." Lydia countered quickly, her voice softer than usual. He flipped the cover open and the pages fell to the side, revealing a grotesque set of pictures and the word 'kanima' scrawled across the top of the page on the left. She leaned down to get closer to him and lowered her voice even more. "Whatever you are, it might be in here. I'd like to help you figure it out."

He stared at her for a few seconds longer and then brought his attention back down to the book. He wondered what all her offer held and what she intended to do to help him. Would they simply go through the book and see if there was anything that rang a bell? Would they meet up on their free time and pick out creatures that he _could_ be or did her offer merely entail him looking through the book on his own and speaking to her if he encountered any questions or concerns?

Was he supposed to keep this book a secret from Ryan or could he share it with her too? What about Kylie: how did Ryan feel about her daughter being around some sort of supernatural creature and would they eventually try to explain werewolves to the tot?

There were far too many unanswered questions and Jordan shook his head, trying to prioritize the ones that he wanted answered. Lydia glanced at him with a questioning look on her face and Jordan lifted his hand up, signalling for her to give her just one second so that he could gather his thoughts.

"Thank you." Jordan said quietly. "I appreciate it."

"It's no problem, really." Lydia replied and moved away from his desk. She tossed him one last smile and backed away from him, heading towards the lobby.

Jordan continued to flip the pages of the book, glancing at the pictures, some of which were grotesque, some of which were terrifying. It was when he landed on the page with a werewolf on it that he let out a sigh.

This book changed everything and Jordan wasn't sure if he was excited or scared to find out what the future held.

He did know one thing for sure, he wanted Ryan by his side every step of the way.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _This is the final chapter for season 4! Bear with me, there's going to be a slight hiatus until I get season 5 up and running but it'll happen soon so please stick with me._**

 ** _How did you guy like the last chapter for season 4?_**

 ** _Thank you to poorxbrokexcollegexkid, Zoey303 and sarahmichellegellarfan1!_**

 ** _A: I really appreciate the fact that you like the realism of their relationship, I strive to keep things relatively realistic considering the supernatural is directly involved. Ryan knows enough to worry and she trusts him to make his own decisions but she also wouldn't want him to go without saying something in terms of a goodbye. Thank you so much for the wonderful review!_**


	43. Chapter 43

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 43:_**

"Mommy!" Kylie's voice called out to her and Ryan froze from her position in the kitchen. She had her phone in her hand and her father's number dialed, but before she could hit the call button, Kylie had yelled for her, Kylie wanted her attention and it wasn't hard for Ryan to understand why.

The weather outside was completely miserable; rain was pounding down on Beacon Hills, thunder rumbled in the sky and lightning lit up their surroundings every so often. Ryan would've been surprised if Kylie _hadn't_ been scared of the storm going on outside.

After six months of nothing too major happening within the small town, Ryan was fully aware that the storm, the raging weather taking over the sky outside, was only the very beginning to a long and horrifying night ahead of her. Jordan had left for the sheriff's station ages ago and she hoped, even with the added pressure of the massive storm, that he'd still wind up on desk duty, a place where Ryan was perfectly content to see Jordan working. She had rather enjoyed the idea of him being stuck at the station, at least that way she didn't have to worry about him getting hurt out in the field, but then again, Cole had died _inside_ the station, the ninja-like psychos had attacked the sheriff's station and it hadn't seemed to matter at that point in time.

So maybe it wasn't exactly a perfect solution, but it was definitely better than having Jordan running around outside, free to do whatever he wanted and get into trouble with whoever seemed to cross his path.

"I'm in the kitchen Ky!" Ryan hollered back at her baby girl and leaned against the edge of the counter, the phone still in her hand, waiting to be used. "Careful on the stairs!"

Kylie's footsteps were heard stomping down the stairs and when she hit the bottom floor, Ryan _knew_ that she'd break out into a run. Seconds later, she spotted her daughter, terrified and scared of the storm, come running right for her. She braced herself and when Kylie wrapped her arms around her legs and buried her face into her thighs, Ryan let out a sigh, hating the fact that she was currently in the middle of trying to get a hold of her dad so that she could drop Kylie off before heading in to work.

"I'm scared." Kylie whined and gripped her legs tighter. Ryan gently rested her hand on the top of Kylie's head and ran her fingers through her hair, trying desperately to soothe the little girl.

"I know Ky but it's just a storm okay, nothing's going to hurt you." Ryan said softly and glanced at the phone in her hand. "You're safe, as long as you're with me, grandpa or Jordan, do you understand?"

"I do." Kylie nodded her head against her thigh and leaned back, looking up at Ryan with wide, scared eyes. "But it's still scary mommy."

Ryan gave the girl a nod of agreement and set the phone on the counter. Without hesitating for another second, she hauled Kylie up off the floor and settled her against her hip, Kylie's arms immediately wrapping around Ryan's neck. She rested her head against Ryan's shoulder and let out a soft sigh.

"Is Jordan with that girl again tonight?" Kylie asked in a whisper and Ryan fought off the urge to tense up at her question.

It had been a battle for her to figure out how much Kylie deserved to know about Jordan's little study sessions with none other than Lydia Martin, and she had thought that she had done a decent job in telling Kylie that Lydia was merely trying to help Jordan figure something important out, but the way that Kylie constantly asked about the whole thing really irked Ryan. She wasn't going to admit anything out loud but there was a little part of her that was jealous, a little part of her that feared Jordan would grow tired of her and Kylie and move on.

Lydia Martin wasn't someone that Ryan really trusted, nor did she like watching Jordan leaving the house to go and meet up with the teenager. She wasn't going to hold him back though, she knew that he wanted to figure out _what_ he was and she didn't have the energy to help him, nor did she have the knowledge. She had Kylie to look after, she had herself to take care of and as much as she hated the idea of Jordan and Lydia working so closely together, she knew that she wasn't going to get in between them, not until she thought it was absolutely necessary.

"He's at work tonight." Ryan answered, thankful that Jordan was at the station at that very moment. "He's helping people who are affected by the storm."

"He's a hero tonight?" Kylie murmured.

"He's a hero tonight." Ryan agreed and hugged her daughter a little bit tighter. "Now, I have to go in to work to help people too, if I call grandpa, you'll have a few minutes to grab some of your toys and then I'll have to drop you off with him for the night, okay?"

Kylie sucked in a nervous breath and Ryan studied her scared little girl. Within a few seconds, Kylie was nodding her head yes and Ryan let out a sigh of relief, thanking the heavens that Kylie didn't put up a fuss. There was too much for her to do at that minute: call her dad, then call Jordan to let him know what was happening, then she had to get herself and Kylie out into the car without getting too wet. Yes, things were hectic, but Ryan wasn't deterred, no, she knew what needed to be done and she was going to do it.

"I can go grab my teddy bear and some toys now." Kylie offered and Ryan gingerly set the girl back on the kitchen floor, running her hand over her head one last time before Kylie wandered out of the kitchen, heading out into the hallway where she'd then head up to her room and gather up a few of her toys.

Ryan grabbed hold of the discarded phone on the counter and lifted it up, finally hitting the call button before putting it against her ear. She waited for the phone to ring two and a half times before her father picked up on the other end, slightly surprised to be hearing from her.

"Ryan? Everything okay?" Ken questioned and Ryan let out a frustrated sigh. "Okay, I'll take that as a no."

"I got called in to work. I know it's last minute and I know it's late but can I drop Kylie off at your place on my way in, Jordan's already working and I can't exactly leave her alone-"

"Ry-pie, of course you can drop Kylie off here. I'll be waiting and ready with hot chocolate." Ken chuckled, trying to let Ryan know that whatever she was stressing over wasn't worth it. Kylie would always be welcome at his house, whether or not Ryan was living with someone, she was his granddaughter and he wasn't going to ever say no to seeing Kylie.

"Okay." Ryan held her breath for a few seconds and blew it out. "She's pretty scared though, of the storm."

"Well, it _is_ a pretty bad one." Ken remarked and Ryan shook her head. "I can handle Kylie, it's fine Ry, just swing by whenever."

"Right. I'll probably be leaving here in the next ten minutes." Ryan explained. "Kylie was just grabbing some toys."

"And you want me to watch her for the night?" Ken pressed, trying to gain a little more information considering Ryan was pretty distracted at the moment. "Or should I expect Jordan to come and get her later?"

Ryan glanced around the kitchen and shook her head yet again. She wasn't sure when Jordan was supposed to be working until but she figured that with the storm still raging outside that he'd be just as busy at the sheriff's station as the hospital was when they called. Even if she _did_ know when Jordan was done work, did she really want him to have to disturb Kylie in the middle of the night?

"If it's okay with you, can she spend the night?" Ryan questioned in response and winced as her dad let out another chuckle.

"That's okay with me." Ken continued to laugh and Ryan started to feel herself relaxing the slightest little bit.

So she had somewhere that she could comfortably take Kylie too, now she just had to call Jordan and get her butt in gear so that she could make it to the hospital. If it wasn't for her father and his willingness to help her look after Kylie, then Ryan wasn't sure what she would've done. She could've said no to going in to work but she knew that they were desperate, as was evident by the tone of voice of the person who had called her. She could've called Jordan to see if he could get off work early, but again, she figured the sheriff's station was just as swamped because of the storm. Ryan was incredibly appreciative of having her father nearby.

"Okay, okay good. I'll be there soon." Ryan stated.

"I'll be waiting." Ken chirped and Ryan shut her eyes for a split second, taking in the sense of calm surrounding her at that exact moment. Once she opened her eyes though, she knew that the calm was only temporary, as soon as she got to the hospital, things were going to get chaotic and fast.

"Bye dad."

"Bye Ry-pie."

Ryan hung up the call, kept the phone in her hand and headed for the stairs. She mounted them quickly and wandered into Kylie's room, watching from the doorway as her daughter stuffed toy after toy into a little pink backpack. Stifling a chuckle, Ryan continued to watch, waiting for Kylie to notice her and when the little girl finally turned around, she grinned up at Ryan.

"I packed all my games!" Kylie exclaimed and patted the front of the backpack.

"Good, did you pack an extra set of clothes?" Ryan narrowed her eyes in on Kylie, knowing full well that the little girl wouldn't have even considered packing things that weren't toys. "You're spending the night at grandpa's."

"I am!?" Kylie's eyes widened in awe and Ryan stepped inside the room, quickly making her way to Kylie's dresser and pulling out a clean shirt, a clean pair of pants, a sweater, socks and underwear.

"I just have to call Jordan and let him know that I'm dropping you off, then we can get going to grandpa's, okay?"

"Yes!" Kylie leapt up to her feet, slipped her backpack over her shoulders and led the way out of the bedroom.

Ryan hugged the girl's clothes against her chest and wandered down the stairs behind Kylie, watching her make each and every step with her tiny little legs. Once they were back on the main floor, Ryan pointed to the front door and Kylie headed for the small bench residing there. Ryan headed into the kitchen, nabbed a plastic grocery bag out of the one cupboard, tucked the clothes inside and then tied it off so that the rain wouldn't hit the garments.

Quickly dialing Jordan's cell number, Ryan lifted the phone up to her ear and waited, one ring, two ring and on the third ring, he answered the phone.

"Parrish here."

"Hey Jordan." Ryan cooed and instantly Jordan let out a soft contented sigh. "I know you're probably really busy at work but that's pretty much why I'm calling."

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I got called in to work though. I'm dropping Kylie off at my dad's, I just thought I'd let you know so that if you get home and no one's here, you know why."

Jordan let out an amused laugh, "I appreciate it."

"Okay. I'll see you later sometime then."

"Always."

"Be safe okay?" Ryan whispered.

"I will be. You too?"

"Of course. I love you." Ryan said.

"I love you too."

"Bye."

Before he had a chance to say anything more, she hung up the phone, which was something that he was rather used to. She hated the ends of phone calls, she hated the idea that one day she might turn into one of those 'no you hang up first' types of people, so instead of putting it off, she said her 'I love you', ten she said her 'goodbye' and she simply hung up.

Sucking in a breath, Ryan focused her attention back on the task at hand. She wandered back out of the kitchen and towards the front door, watching as Kylie did up the Velcro on her running shoes. Kylie stood up off the bench and wiggled her hips with a smile, the fear of the storm forgotten as the excitement of heading to her grandpa's took over. After Ryan slipped her own shoes on, as well as a rain jacket, Ryan grabbed the umbrella off the hook, took hold of her purse and keys and then ushered Kylie to the front door.

"Be ready to run." Ryan instructed but Kylie turned her body and looked up at Ryan with pleading eyes.

"Can you carry me?" Kylie asked in a soft voice.

"Uh…" Ryan paused, hauled her purse up onto her shoulder, clutched her keys in her hands and then squatted down in front of Kylie. "Can you hold the umbrella?"

Kylie nodded her head yes furiously and took the umbrella out of Ryan's hands. She then lifted her daughter up, rested her against her hip and opened the front door, waiting just inside until Kylie had the umbrella open.

Without putting it off anymore, Ryan hit the unlock button on the car, then put the house key into the deadbolt. She stepped outside and heard the rain hitting the umbrella hard overtop of them. Kylie held the umbrella rather steady and Ryan shut the door behind them, locking it up faster than she had ever locked it before. She broke out into a jog, pulled the back door of her car open and let Kylie climb inside, taking the umbrella from her hands as Kylie crawled into her car seat.

Ryan shut the door, lowered the umbrella and immediately climbed into the driver's seat, shutting the door once she was safely inside the car. The umbrella was tossed to the floor on the passenger side, and her purse was set haphazardly _on_ the passenger seat. Ryan twisted her body and leaned into the backseat, helping Kylie get herself locked in to her car seat. Once she was safely belted in, Ryan sat down in the driver's seat, took a deep breath and did up her own seatbelt.

If this was just the start of her night, she dreaded what was still to come.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

As soon as he had gotten off of the phone with Ryan, the phones had started ringing off the hook. Sure they had been bad before she called but it was ten times worse once their conversation had ended. It might not have been such a bad thing though, with the phones ringing, he was busy, and if he was busy, time passed quicker, except he was apparently the only one reduced to desk duty, _he_ was the one who had to try and answer all of the ringing lines without sounding frustrated every time he picked up.

It wasn't hard to see that storms in Beacon Hills always seemed to yield a high call rate from people complaining about their power or small amounts of damage caused by the storm and when the storms struck, they struck hard. All Jordan needed to do was look out the window to see just how powerful the winds were, tree branches and debris were littering the roads all over town, and even if he _didn't_ have a window nearby which enabled him to witness the rain first hand, he could hear it dropping down onto the roof, _hard_.

Taking in a deep breath, Jordan stood up and began looking out across the room in an attempt to find someone who _might_ be able to help him handle the incoming calls, which were popping up at an alarming rate. When he realized that there were no free hands to help him out, Jordan let out a frustrated sigh and mentally cursed the weather. All of the rest of the deputies around him were running here and there, trying to handle as many of the complaints as they could, which meant Jordan, much to his dismay, was stuck exactly where he was: answering the unending calls coming in through the phones.

He reached down and nabbed the phone, lifting it up to his ear and listening as the woman on the other end dove right into whatever it was she felt the need to call him about. He heard her out and tried not to cut in, but it got to the point where he had heard it all before. The storm was bad, that meant the power might go out, apparently the citizens of Beacon Hills weren't as familiar with this particular concept as Jordan would've liked.

"Yes, ma'am, we're having trouble with the power as well." He bit back the urge to sigh and took another look out at the floor, desperate for someone, anyone at all, to help him. "It's most likely related to the storm."

Of course it was related to the storm but he wasn't about to tell the woman that she was wasting her time calling the sheriff's station to ask about it, so without waiting for a reply from the woman on the other end, Jordan set the phone down and prayed that the chaos would let up soon, if only so he could grab a coffee and maybe take a trip to the bathroom. If the storm continued, that meant the phones wouldn't stop ringing but if the rain slowed down, then maybe the power would stabilize and he'd be stuck on desk duty but without the constant ringing of the phone driving him mad.

"Parrish!" The sheriff's voice was gruff, pulling Jordan out of his own head and Jordan quickly jerked his body towards the man's office, looking at him before he spoke again. "Check the back-up generator and make sure it's fueled."

Jordan rolled his eyes at the man's request, as if the sheriff couldn't see that he was trying his best to take care of the desk duties, now he had to worry about the back-up generator, which meant leaving the desk all together. Boy oh boy would he be glad when the storm was over, then he could finish his shift, take off for home and maybe snuggle up with Ryan, that is, of course, if her night wasn't going just as crazy as his was.

The thought of Ryan dealing with similar chaos at the hospital had him letting out a breath. Okay, so maybe he had one thing to be thankful for, at least he wasn't looking after patients in the middle of a giant storm that threatened to take the power out every minute that it continued to rain. Poor Ryan would be running from room to room, handling as much as she could, which was already more than enough for her. She had already worked during the day, now she was just working overtime.

Fighting back the urge to smile at the thought of Ryan, Jordan composed himself and continued to look at the sheriff. Before he could step out from behind the desk to get to checking on the generator though, the sheriff spoke again, frustrating him even more than he was already, and he was certainly frustrated enough.

"And Parrish, answer the phone."

The sheriff waved his hand in the air and retreated back into his office, leaving Jordan to it. Not only was he responsible for answering the phones but apparently now it was his job to check the generator and make sure it was fueled. If he was honest with himself, part of him was hoping for a total power outage, at least that way the phones might stop ringing long enough for him to take a bit of a breather. The more the phones kept ringing, the more frustrated he grew at the whole situation and he wasn't exactly sure what would happen if he grew much more frustrated than he was at that very minute.

Sucking in a breath and looking at the sheriff's office, he shook his head and debated his next move. He wasn't going to wait until he was any more frustrated, no he was going to do something about it and if that meant abandoning the god damn phones, well then so be it. If it hadn't been for Ryan's phone call all those long minutes ago, maybe he would've snapped sooner, but hearing from her, in the midst of the ongoing chaos from the storm had worked well to calm him down ever so slightly.

He knew that Ryan was rather fond of him working the menial jobs that he had been assigned, the less dangerous the task, the happier Ryan seemed to be and he understood, he did, but that didn't mean he wasn't growing tired of doing irrelevant tasks that were more suited for rookies, which was something Jordan didn't consider himself anymore: not after the attack by the ninjas, not after trailing Peter Hale into the sewers and certainly not after having to find Ryan in a hospital littered with dead bodies. His days as a rookie were over.

Fueling the fire, Jordan marched around the desk and headed for his boss' office, barging in without a second thought. He wasn't a secretary, he wasn't just a traffic cop, he was a deputy, a damn good deputy at that, and he just wanted to be back in the man's good graces, he wanted to work, he wanted to keep people safe, was that so much to ask?

When he marched into the sheriff's office, he stopped just in front of his desk and took in the sight in front of him. The sheriff had his desk lamp on, which was providing little light in the dimly lit station, and a pen was poised in his hand. He looked frustrated but not nearly as frustrated as Jordan felt, not even close.

"Six months." Jordan exclaimed and clenched his fingers into fists, leaving his arms dangling at his sides. "Six months of directing traffic, doing courthouse security, serving subpoenas, and today I finished a total organizational overhaul of evidence lock-up. Now I'm stuck behind the front desk while there are downed power-lines, a jackknifed tractor-trailer and reports of gunshots downtown? I don't know what I did to lose your trust, but you need every available deputy out there."

Jordan knew that if it was up to Ryan, she'd most definitely keep him exactly where he was. He worked in less dangerous situations, which meant the chances of him making it home okay were very high. He totally understood where she was coming from, but what he was doing wasn't what he had signed up for.

He had come to Beacon Hills to be the best deputy he could be and there was no way he was going to settle for doing trivial jobs that were hardly relevant in the bigger picture.

The sheriff hesitated for a second but tilted his head to the side, "okay, I got something for you."

Handing over the paper, Jordan took it in his hands, flipped it the right way and studied the words typed out on it. The blanks were filled in with the sheriff's handwriting and before he had a chance to argue, he bit back the semi-nasty words that were swimming around in his head. This was better than nothing, better than desk duty, better than phones, and Jordan wasn't going to pass the opportunity up for anything.

"A noise complaint?" Jordan questioned hesitantly, slightly confused as to what was really going on. He wasn't asking about the sheriff's motivation, or the severity of the situation, he merely wanted to make sure that what he saw on the paper was what he was supposed to be dealing with.

"Yeah. Somebody would make a noise, somebody else complained about it. Check it out." The sheriff explained calmly but the sarcasm wasn't lost on Jordan. He stole another look at the paper and figured it was way better than nothing. At the very least, he had a chance to get away from the desk and the constant ringing of the phones.

Heading to a noise complaint was much better than being the one to answer the phones, by far.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Welcome to season 5 guys!_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid; I always find endings to be the hardest but thank you._**

 ** _sarahmichellegellarsfan1: Why thank you! I hope that you find more scenes with the three of them just as cute_**

 ** _Tiffany: French, that's so exciting! Thank you for your review and I hope that you continue to read and enjoy! I'm rather biased but I think Jordan and Ryan are cute together too  
_**

 ** _A: Here's the first bit of season 5, how did you find it? Thank you so much for your continued support!  
_**


	44. Chapter 44

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 44:_**

When he pulled up to the address of the house that was written on his piece of paper, Jordan shivered and studied the place for a quick second. It was dark, stormy still, but the rain had died down to nearly nothing. The clouds in the sky were still black and lightning continued to flash, but as long as he wasn't getting wet, then what more could he really ask for?

Stepping out of his truck, he headed towards the place and stopped at the curb, looking at the house from where he stood and then glancing down at the piece of paper in his hand. There was a fence all around the property but the gate in front of him was open, which only served to make him more alert. If there was someone, or _something_ inside, he wanted to be careful, he wanted to make sure that he kept himself safe.

Folding up the paper, tucking it into his back pocket and then pulling his flashlight out from his belt, he flicked it on and made his way up to the front door, mounting the steps quickly and pausing just in front of the door. He took in a deep breath, pictured Ryan briefly and turned the knob, to his surprise, it wasn't locked and slowly he moved the door forward, listening to the eerie creaking sound it made as it opened wider and wider.

Once the door was ajar completely, he waved his flashlight into the house and took a few steps inside, looking across the room in search of the source of the noise complaint. Continuing to move forward, he wandered into a side room and took in the sight of a chandelier lying motionless on the floor below where it had no doubt hung regally once before. His light reflected off the glass pieces of the fixture but Jordan was undeterred. After six months he was finally back out in the field and he wasn't going to screw this job up.

"Hello? This is the Beacon County Sheriff's Department." Jordan called out into the seemingly empty house. He continued to wander further into the darkened home and when he approached a door that was slightly ajar, he cocked his head to the side.

Drawing his gun and poising it in front of him along with the beam from the flashlight, Jordan used his foot to gently kick the door open. It made a creaking noise just as eerie as the front door had but Jordan wasn't going to stop now. He was so close to finishing the job, he was so close to dealing with the noise complaint, that he could taste it.

Slowly and carefully he stepped down the rickety wooden steps towards the basement of the house. With each step he descended, the harder his heart pounded in his chest and suddenly he realized that maybe this wasn't as great of an opportunity as he had originally believed. The whole house was creepy and a weird feeling was rippling through his body, maybe answering phones didn't seem so bad after all.

Jordan stepped onto the concrete floor at the base of the stairs and approached the weird double door looking panels at the end of the small hallway. Before he could wander toward them though, he turned to the side and stepped into an open room with a small window on the one wall letting in a tiny bit of light from outside.

"Hello? Hello!" He called, moving his flashlight around the room and searching for anything out of the ordinary. He let the beam linger on the concrete block wall on the opposite side of the room, which was almost enticing.

Jordan approached the wall carefully, lowering his gun in the process, and when he was within reach, he leaned forward and pressed his ear against the rough surface of the blocks. Focusing his attention on the wall, he waited patiently, and before he had a chance to move away, a loud thudding noise shook the walls of the basement.

"Hey! Hey, can you hear me?" Jordan called at the wall and took a step back.

Another thud sounded out from the wall and Jordan's blood ran cold. If there was someone stuck in the wall, then he had to get them out, he had to help them, no matter what.

A couple more strange thunking noises erupted from the wall, the house shaking slightly with each one and Jordan sucked in a breath, preparing himself to deal with the situation in front of him.

"Okay, okay, I'm going to get you out of there. I'm coming right back. Just hang on!" he yelled and took off for the stairs, taking them two at a time as he ran back up to the main floor.

Once he was at the top of the stairs, he took off for the truck outside, stopping only to open the metal tool box in the bed of the truck. Digging around for all of two seconds, he grabbed what he was looking for and bee lined it back into the house, rushing down the basement stairs so fast that he nearly wiped out when he hit the bottom.

Without a second thought, Jordan continued to run right for the wall and when he was within reaching distance, he stopped and took a second to breathe. He set his flashlight on the ground just behind him so that the beam of light was facing the wall and then took another step closer to it, hoping that he wasn't too late.

"Back up if you can!" Jordan shouted and raised his arm up, readying himself to start chipping away at the blocks of the wall.

He swung the tool against the wall, feeling the impact run through his arm. He chipped it slightly and swung again, making the chip the tiniest bit larger. He froze at the sight of a liquid seeping through the tiny abrasion that he had just created and his eyes were glued to it as the liquid began oozing more consistently. Jordan leaned in the tiniest little bit, watching as the wall splintered above the break and that's when the chip in the wall burst, the liquid erupting into his face.

He made a move to wipe it off his face but he only got one swipe in before the wall exploded and a strong grip was around his neck. Jordan held his breath and gritted his teeth as the wall continued to break and splinter in front of him. His eyes widened at the sight of a large figure stepping out from the wall, or at least what was left of it.

Swinging his feet, he tried to gain some sort of advantage but the hand around his throat held firm and Jordan was reduced to waiting for whatever cruel end fate had planned for him.

His eyes met glowing blue ones and Jordan took in the sight of the figure's teeth. This was a man, or at least a partial man, who had razor sharp canines like he had seen a few times before. His gaze fell away from the man's face though and fell onto his hand, which had exceptionally long claws protruding from his fingers.

There was no stopping it, the claws were fiercely driven into Jordan's stomach and he let out a cry of pain, continuing to scream as the man dug deeper into his flesh, hurting him worse with each passing second.

As suddenly as he had started his attack, the man had stopped and calmly looked into Jordan's eyes with a curious expression on his face. Jordan however, was still desperate to get himself away from this man, but first and foremost, he wanted to get his feet back on the ground.

"Not a werewolf, but you're something." The figure stated and Jordan felt his heart pounding harder than it had all night. Whatever was happening was terrifying and all he wanted to do was get the hell out of there and back to the station, even if that meant that he was stuck with answering phones for the rest of his life.

The man jerked his hand away from Jordan's neck and dropped him to the hard, cold, concrete floor. Jordan fell to his stomach and his arms splayed out over his head. Struggling to breath, Jordan managed to haul his body up off the floor, using his elbow to prop himself up.

He looked up at the man that had attacked him and took in the sight of the large figure. There was no way that he wasn't going to get out of there all in one piece, all he could hope for at that very second was that he made it out of there alive. The creature was covered in the same liquid that had seeped out of the wall and Jordan sucked in a breath, trying to calm down his heart. If he could calm down his heart, then maybe he could slow down the flow of blood to his wounds, which were on fire.

"Now, you're no ordinary creature, deputy, but then, neither am I, not tonight." The man stated and lifted his hand up, wiggling his claws in front of Jordan. His talons were glowing blue and Jordan tore his eyes away from the man for a split second. "I'll let you live if you answer one question: where is Scott McCall?"

"Never heard of him." Jordan managed to get out through baited breath and without a second to brace himself, the man wound up and brought his hand down on Jordan, simultaneously slicing through his flesh and causing him to let out a scream of pain.

He collapsed to the ground and was reduced to watching as the large beastlike man stalked to the stairs and disappeared from view. Jordan held his breath and tried to focus on anything but the pain radiating through his body. Whatever the man had done to him hurt like hell but Jordan wasn't going to give up, he was a Beacon Hills Deputy and he was going to do whatever he could to get himself out of the basement.

His breathing was ragged but he wasn't going to stop trying. Struggling to drag himself across the room, he slowly but surely closed the distance between him and nearest wall, which happened to contain a shelf leaning against it. After a few minutes of agonizing pain, Jordan finally managed to reach the wall, twisting his body around and hauling himself up into a sitting position so that his back resided against the shelf.

Once he was settled in, he felt a ripple of pain rush through him, hissing at the feeling, he tried to maintain his composure but the sight of smoke erupting from the claw marks in his chest made him lose a little bit of hope. Letting his head drop to the side, he spotted his radio, which had the potential to be his ticket out of the basement. He lifted his hand up and pressed the button on the radio, hoping that someone would hear him through all the chaos of the storm.

"Dispatch? Officer-" Jordan paused and let out a groan but surged forward, desperate to get himself some help. "Officer down."

All he heard in response was static, not a sound that he wanted to hear considering his circumstances. If he didn't get a hold of someone, he'd be reduced to suffering on his own in the basement and at the rate that the pain was spreading through his body, he wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to stay conscious.

His eyes fluttered shut briefly and the room turned blurry. Jordan squeezed his eyes shut tight and tried to pull himself together. He made another attempt to use his radio but before he pushed the button down, a flicker off to the side caught his eye.

He swore he heard a little girl's giggle, which sounded an awful lot like Kylie, but that couldn't be right, no, he was in the house by himself, there was no way for anyone, especially Kylie, who had been dropped off at her grandpa's, to be there with him. He sucked in a pain filled breath and let his eyes droop shut once more.

When he opened them, he looked around the room and listened for the giggling sound one more time, but he heard, and saw, nothing, at least until a figure moved towards him, walking out of the shadows.

"Jordan." He swore he heard Ryan's voice but that couldn't have been right either. She was at the hospital, she had called him and told him specifically that she had been called in.

"Jordan I'm here."

He looked up and spotted the figure still moving towards him, except it was neither Ryan nor Kylie. Instead, his eyes met the ghostly figure of Lydia Martin and Jordan fought off the darkness that seemed to be trying to take over him.

He didn't want to close his eyes, he didn't want to give up, but the pain was starting to become too much for him to bear. More smoke erupted from his wounds and he let out another low hiss of pain.

His eyes widened slightly and he watched as ghostly Lydia dropped down to kneel in front of him. He squeezed his eyes shut tight and tried to picture Ryan but when he opened his eyes back up, it was still Lydia who was in the basement with him.

"I'm right here." Her translucent hand moved out and rested gently on his chest and he was reduced to watching as she leaned in even closer.

His head jerked to the side at the sound of the eerie giggling again but the hand on his chest pressed harder, drawing his attention back to Lydia. Jordan blinked a few times in an attempt to clear his head.

"Ryan." He murmured and prayed that she'd be able to get through the night on her own.

"Stay with me." Lydia's figure whispered and Jordan felt the pressure on his chest increasing as she leaned in closer and closer.

His eyes fell shut and he swore that he felt someone press a kiss to his lips. This wasn't good, not only was he hallucinating but he was losing consciousness. If he died down in this dark and dingy basement, who knew how long it would be until someone found him, if they managed to find him at all.

Jordan's head lulled to the side and he slowly gave up the fight to stay awake. It was as soon as his body relaxed though that he heard another voice, this one more masculine than the rest. When a bright light floated across his eyes, which were shut tight, he forced himself to open his eyes one last time.

"Parrish? Parrish?" The sheriff's voice called out to him and Jordan hoped that he was real, he hoped that this wasn't another cruel vision because there was no way he could stay awake anymore.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

"Hey Ryan!" Melissa shouted as she approached Ryan, who was standing at the front desk looking for her next patient file. Ryan turned her head to face her friend and furrowed her eyebrows at the panicked look on Melissa's face.

"Yeah?" Ryan replied and moved away from the desk, stepping out of reach so that when the nurse sitting behind it went to hand her a file, she'd hopefully get the hint that Ryan wasn't ready just yet and move on. Melissa closed the distance between them and latched her hand onto Ryan's forearm, tugging on it and pulling her along behind as Melissa led the way down the hall. "Where are we going?"

"There's something I think you should see." Melissa answered with an ominous tone to her voice. Ryan's body tensed up but she fell in step behind her friend as the two of them rushed down the hall towards the morgue.

Ryan held her breath as Melissa led them both inside and she let out a gasp at the sight in front of her.

The sheriff was working on laying an unmoving Jordan onto the hard metal table and Melissa promptly let go of her hold on Ryan to help him gently lower the deputy down. Ryan cautiously stepped closer to the three of them and took up a stance on the opposite side of the table as the sheriff and Melissa, her eyes falling down to the deep, oozing scratches on Jordan's chest.

"Okay, okay, easy, easy." The sheriff instructed as he let Jordan's body fall against the table softly. Melissa looked over at Ryan, and then locked her eyes on the sheriff.

"You said you were going to keep him on desk duty." Melissa pointed out and Ryan took a step closer to the table, reaching out with her one hand but hesitating before she grabbed hold of Jordan's limp arm. Ryan pulled her hand back and crossed her arms over her chest, looking over her bleeding boyfriend as wisps of smoke floated out of his wounds.

"Yeah, it was just a minor noise complaint." The sheriff countered and met Ryan's questioning gaze. She hadn't exactly been opposed to Jordan being left with the trivial tasks and as far as she knew, nothing had changed, so why had Jordan wound up hurt in the first place?

Ryan shook her head at him, uncrossed her arms and reached her hands out, pulling the edges of his clothing away from his wounds.

"What happened?" Ryan asked and leaned in a little closer, holding her breath as more smoke billowed out of his wounds and up towards her face.

"He's not on fire, is he?" Melissa questioned at the sight of the smoke.

"Not that I know of." The sheriff answered skeptically. At this point in time, Ryan wouldn't have been surprised if Jordan _was_ on fire, but she didn't know how to treat that, she did know how to treat the wounds on his chest however, for the most part anyways.

"You know, maybe it's part of his healing process?" Melissa stated with a nod of her head. Ryan ran her fingers over the edges of the wounds and when she felt Jordan's muscles contracting under her touch, she jumped back in time to witness Jordan bursting forward, moving into a sitting position as his eyes glowed bright orange and the lights of the room flickered around them.

Ryan held her hands up in surrender but kept her eyes glued to Jordan, whose chest was heaving as he breathed. He stood up, moved off the table, and turned towards them with an unreadable expression on his face. The sheriff had drawn his gun and Ryan's eyes widened as he pointed it directly at Jordan's chest, which was miraculously healed from all of two seconds ago. Jordan sucked in a few more deep breaths, his eyes still glowing, but no one in the room dared to move.

Melissa pressed her hand on the sheriff's arm, lowering the gun slowly, "it's okay. It's okay. Right, Deputy?"

Jordan blinked his eyes and when he focused his attention on the sheriff, his irises had returned to normal. Ryan surged forward and wrapped her arms around his middle, letting out a sigh of relief as he hugged her in response.

"You're alive." Ryan murmured and reluctantly peeled herself away from him. Jordan's hands ran down her arms, lingering on her wrists before breaking contact completely. She glanced down at his chest and he lifted a hand up, pressing his palm against the freshly healed skin.

"Scott." Jordan stated with a newfound confidence and Ryan held her breath, hoping for the best. "We need to find Scott."

"I think maybe we should make sure you're okay." Ryan pointed out and Melissa gave her a nod of agreement.

"I'm…I'm fine." Jordan sucked in a breath and let out a soft sigh. He reached over and slipped his fingers between Ryan's, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.

She leaned against his shoulder and let her forehead drop down to rest there. Jordan turned his head slightly and pressed a sweet little kiss against the side of her head, basking in the feeling of her hand in his for just a split second before focusing back onto the task at hand.

Ryan was clearly worried about him, he didn't blame her, not really. If she had been the one to show up unconscious and severely injured, there was no telling how he'd react, aside from doing everything in his power to help her. Seeing her when he woke up, feeling her against his side, was as much of a comfort as he needed.

The sheriff and Melissa remained standing at the head of the table while Ryan pressed her body against his side harder, trying to feel him next to her. So long as she could feel him, then she knew he was okay, she knew he was alive and safe and there for her. He wasn't going to end up like Cole, he had promised her that, but that didn't sate the worry that she had every single time he suited up and went off to work.

Jordan kept a firm grasp of her hand but pressed his other palm on the edge of the table, holding the sheriff's attention.

"Why do we need to find Scott?" Melissa spoke up first and Ryan held his hand tighter, fear flooding through her at the thought of what _could've_ happened to Jordan had the sheriff not brought him in to the hospital when he did.

"The guy that attacked me, he was- he asked me about Scott." Jordan answered and let go of Ryan's hand, only so that he could slip his arm around her waist and rest his palm on her hip instead. She let out a soft coo at his actions and he couldn't help but feel a little bit better because she was right by his side.

"The guy that attacked you? You're telling me that this was-"

"He was more beast than man." Jordan cut in and looked between the sheriff and Melissa, gauging their confused expressions. Ryan sucked in a breath beside him and he knew that she didn't like where this conversation was going. The supernatural aspect of living in Beacon Hills always made her uncomfortable and he couldn't really blame her. She had lost her husband to a kanima, she had been attacked by sword wielding ninjas _and_ she had been attacked by a cannibalistic teenager, which Jordan had since learned was called a Wendigo.

Yes, Ryan had every right to be a little leery of the supernatural.

"Was he like a werewolf?" Melissa pressed.

"A kanima?" Ryan moved her head away and looked up at him with wide, fear-filled eyes.

"I don't know. He had a face like a werewolf but his claws were different, they were twice the size of Scott's, more like talons." Jordan tried his best to explain and Ryan just tensed even more next to him.

"If that's the worst part, that doesn't sound too bad." Melissa remarked with a slight shrug.

"It's worse." Jordan countered quickly. "They did something to me, I don't know how to describe it other than it felt as if the life was being drawn out of me through them, through the claws."

Ryan lifted her hand up and when Jordan's palm moved away from her hip, she set her fingers on top of his. He moved his palm over the now-healed wounds on his chest and pressed down on the blood covered skin gently, her hand right on top of his.

"And now he's looking for Scott?" Melissa stammered, confused as to what was going on.

"Because he's an alpha?" Ryan added and pulled her hand away, digging into the pocket on her scrub shirt and pulling out one of the wipes that she had stashed away there earlier for easy access.

She ripped the top off the packet and pulled it out, immediately dabbing the moistened wipe onto Jordan's chest, forcing his hand away from the once injured area. She continued to wipe at the blood, attempting to clean him up as best as she could so that he could wander out into the hospital without freaking out too many people, including herself.

"Maybe. But if he's looking for Scott, well, it got me thinking about what this guy can do. The rule is you have to kill an alpha to steal their power, right?" Jordan questioned and waited for confirmation on an answer that he already knew.

"But it's different for Scott." Melissa pointed out as she glanced back at the sheriff. Ryan gave one final swipe of the wipe across Jordan's chest and then balled it up, tossing it into the garbage bin just a few feet away from her.

"He can still kill though, right?" Ryan piped up.

"He can." Jordan nodded his head at her question. "But that's not going to get him anything in the long run."

"You can't steal a True Alpha's power." The sheriff proclaimed, clearing up any confusion that Ryan might've had over the whole situation.

"I think this guy can." Jordan remarked with a worried expression on his face.

"So what does that mean for you?" Ryan asked with a pointed look directed at Jordan. "You're not going back out there, _tell me_ you're not going to go back out there."

"He's not." The sheriff cut in and Ryan let out a sigh of relief. "His orders are to stay here and get himself checked out. Does that suit you Ms. Sloane?"

Ryan forced a smile in the sheriff's direction and nodded her head yes, he couldn't have given Jordan a better order than what he just had. She took his hand in hers and began leading him out of the morgue, hoping to get him into one of the exam rooms so that she could get a better look at him. Melissa shot her a smile as she exited through the doors and disappeared into the hallway.

Jordan gave a rough tug on Ryan's arm and stopped her in her tracks. She spun around to face him and he hauled her forward, drawing her into his arms and enveloping her into a hug. She let out a sigh and relaxed against his chest, relishing in the feel of his arms around her. This was exactly where she liked to be and she thanked the heavens that he hadn't ended up worse for wear after what had happened to him earlier in the night.

"I'm okay." Jordan whispered and pressed a kiss against the top of her head.

"I love you." Ryan murmured in response and buried herself deeper into his chest.

"I love you too." Jordan replied and held on to her, hoping that she'd relax soon enough.

If all went according to his new plan, he'd let her check him out and then try and talk her into leaving with him. If they were quick then maybe they'd be able to make it home before sunrise and spend what little time that had without Kylie together.

On the other hand, he figured that if it didn't work out exactly the way he wanted it, he'd still be looking forward to seeing Kylie in the morning.

Either way, it was fine with him, so long as he was breathing, it didn't matter.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

 _ **And here we are getting right into the chaos! What'd you guys think?**_

 _ **poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Thank you, I'm glad you're still reading and enjoying!**_

 _ **A: Yay for sure! Did you enjoy the latest installment? I try to make Kylie as adorable as possible when I can and thank you for the wonderful review!**_

 _ **sarahmichellegellarfan1: Awesome! thank you so much!**_


	45. Chapter 45

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 45:_**

"Were you waiting long?" Ryan's voice had come out of nowhere, jarring Jordan slightly. He hadn't been expecting her to show up so soon, especially not after seeing her mere minutes before heading into another patient's room.

Looking up at her, he smiled at the sight in front of him: Ryan stood there in her scrubs with her raincoat overtop, an umbrella in one hand and her workbag hanging off the other arm. He nodded his head at her and slowly rose to his feet, tucking his cell phone, which he had been looking at, into the pocket on his pants.

Ryan studied him as he stood up and took her bottom lip in between her teeth, wondering what the hell she was supposed to do about the damage to his shirt. It was ripped and frayed near the collar but maybe it was fixable, maybe she could give it her best shot at making it look as close to new as possible. When Jordan's hand reached out and gently tipped her head back slightly so that she was looking right at him, instead of at his healed up chest, she stared back at him, wondering what was going on in his head.

"I was only waiting a few minutes." He answered her question from seconds before and released her from his gentle hold. "I have an extra uniform Ryan, don't worry."

She gaped at him, "how did you know…I just remember what it was like when Cole came home with a new rip or tear to his uniform."

He nodded solemnly at her and ran his fingers across the imperfect fabric. When his fingers met skin though, he flattened his hand out and rested his palm against the part of his chest that had been ripped wide open just hours ago.

"What happened when he came home with his skin ripped or torn open?" Jordan hadn't meant it as a teasing thing, nor did he seem to be judging her, his voice was nothing but genuine and Ryan offered a shrug in response.

"Well I'm a nurse, so, I fixed him up as best as I could." Ryan answered with a slightly confused tone. "To be fair, he never really got hurt past a few scrapes and bruises, and then the one time when he _was_ seriously injured…he didn't come back to me."

His heart fell at the sight of tears welling up in her eyes and without question, he stepped forward and slipped his arms around her, tugging her tight against him and just holding her as she fought off the urge to cry. He knew that no matter how much time passed, or how well Ryan seemed to be doing in her life, that Cole would always be there, on the back of her mind. It wasn't like Jordan was jealous, or worried that she'd be pining after Cole for a long time, it was just that he was worried.

It hadn't been all that long ago that she had found out that his death hadn't been as cut and dry as many people still believed. A Kanima had attacked the sheriff's station that night and she had lost her husband, the father of her child, and Jordan knew that there wasn't anything he could say, or do, to bring him back. All he _could_ do was be there for her the best that he could.

"I'm sorry." Jordan murmured and ran his hand up and down her back. "I'm so sorry."

"You…you came in tonight, all covered with blood and I- I didn't know what to think Jordan." She confessed, her voice soft and small. If he hadn't been in such close proximity to her, he might not have heard her at all. There was definitely fear in her tone and whether or not he had meant to, it was easy to see that he had scared her. "You were just lying there, not moving, and I don't know, I just…I was terrified that I had lost you."

"You didn't though." Jordan whispered in response and she gripped the side of his shirt with her hand, hard. "I'm okay, I'm right here with you."

"But something could've happened, something serious." She countered and tipped her head back, looking into his eyes. "If you weren't some sort of supernatural creature then you would've died tonight."

"But I didn't." Jordan pointed out and smiled at her. She shook her head at him and tugged on his shirt, trying to get him to see things from her point of view.

He easily could've died, whoever, or whatever, had attacked him could've killed him if he was a human. Ryan let go of his shirt and lifted her hand up, running her fingertips along his jaw in a gentle manner.

"Cole was human and all it took for me to lose him was one night." Ryan explained and sucked in a breath. "And he wasn't even out on patrol, he was _at the station_ when he died. I know you're not trying to upset me but can you please understand that things like what happened to you tonight are terrifying to me?"

She held her breath and Jordan loosened his hold on her, leaving one arm around her while his other arm moved away from her. She tensed up as his hand came at her but as soon as his fingers raked through her hair, she let out a soft sigh and relaxed against him, her chest flush against his while she rested the side of her head on his shoulder.

"Okay, you're right." Jordan gave in and continued to run his fingers through her hair. He peeked down at her and fought off the urge to smile at the sight of her with her eyes shut. He glanced around the hallways and his eyes landed on a nearby window, which Jordan stared at, wondering if he was really seeing daylight filtering in through the half open blinds.

He felt the weight of Ryan against him and instead of wondering what was going through her head, he stopped running his hand through her hair and reached down, taking her work bag off of her arm. She peeled herself away from him, gripped the umbrella in her own hand and looked at him.

"What were you doing out of the station anyways? The sheriff mentioned something about a noise complaint, was that really all it was?" Ryan questioned and let him take her free hand, their fingers intertwining in the process.

"Just a noise complaint." Jordan answered nonchalantly.

" _Just_ a noise complaint? You were sent out for a noise complaint and wound up half dead before the sheriff showed up in time to save your life?" Ryan stared at him, a confused expression etched on her face. "You're kidding me, you _have_ to be kidding me."

"I wish." Jordan let out a chuckle and squeezed her hand a little bit tighter. "It's all he'd let me do, before that I was stuck on desk duty."

"What like a secretary?"

"Sort of, yeah."

She scrunched up her nose at his admission but turned her body so that she was facing the exit to the hospital. He followed her lead and together they moved down the hall, a comfortable blanket of silence between them. As they passed by a few nurses and other staff members, Ryan said her goodbyes and when they came across Melissa McCall, looking as exhausted as ever, Ryan pulled away from him and gave the woman a hug without exchanging words.

When the two females parted, Ryan moved right back to Jordan's side and let him slip his arm around her shoulders. When they finally reached the exit, Ryan paused and dug into her bag, which Jordan was still holding, and pulled out her car keys.

"We have to make a stop." Jordan announced at the sight of her keys.

"Yeah?" She questioned.

"My truck, it's still at the house that I was sent to, right? The sheriff brought me in and there's no way he can drive two cars at once." Jordan pointed out and Ryan nodded her head in agreement. "It's not too far out of the way."

"Did you want to grab Kylie before we get your truck then?" Ryan asked and stepped forward, wandering outside. Jordan was right beside her and when they hit the edge of the curb, she looked out at the parking lot, which was significantly emptier than when she had come in to work all those hours ago.

"When's your dad expecting you?" Jordan asked right back and Ryan glanced up at the sky, feeling the warm of the morning sun on her face. Jordan looked down into her bag and fished around for her cell phone, pulling it out and looking at the time. "It's still really early."

"I have to be back to work in a few hours." She sighed and glanced back at the building they had just walked out of. "Maybe I can call him, ask him if he can just watch her until it's time for her to go to the sitter's?"

"And you and I can head home and have a nap together?" Jordan looked over at her and smiled wide, hoping she'd catch the lingering implication. The two of them would be alone in the house together, which was something they rarely got a chance to experience together.

Maybe if Ryan hadn't been as exhausted as she was, she'd be all for some fun with Jordan, but with the way her night had gone, and the lack of significant sleeping time before she was due back at work, she knew that it would be hard for her to enjoy anything except a decent few hours of sleep.

"I need a shower." Ryan countered and Jordan narrowed his eyes in on her. "Or a bath, I don't care, but I'd love it if you joined me."

"And then we nap together?" He inquired and she gave him a nod of his head.

"If you legitimately mean nap, then yes. I don't know about you but I had the longest night at work ever."

"Mine was pretty short. Got sent out on a noise complaint, wound up getting hurt, then I spent most of the night at the hospital waiting for my girlfriend to be ready to leave so that I could take her home and ravage her." Jordan teased and Ryan let a small smile take over her lips. She shook her head at him in amusement but didn't object to his implied plans.

"So long as you're quick Deputy then we won't have any problems." She jeered right back at him and Jordan cocked his head to the side, looking at her with a glare. "Not to say that you're normally quick, I mean, usually you're well within the normal range of-"

"Just stop." He let out a chuckle. "You're not helping yourself."

Ryan simply grinned at him in response and stepped off the curb, heading right for her car. Jordan hung back and watched her as she unlocked the vehicle and then proceeded to pop the trunk where she tucked the umbrella away before closing it. Ryan set her hand on the back of the car and looked back at Jordan, waiting for him to join her and he definitely didn't need any more invitation than that.

Jordan stepped off the curb too and closed the distance between them. He rounded the car and came to stand right in front of her before reaching out and handing her the work bag that he had been carrying for her. Ryan took it and hoisted it up onto her shoulder but hesitated and leaned in close to him, moving onto her tiptoes before breaking out into a smile. His hands came to rest on her hips and he braced himself, waiting for her to lean in and when she did, when her lips finally pressed against his, he felt the weight of the world melting away.

With her it didn't matter if he was human or some sort of supernatural creature, it didn't matter that she was a single mom, she loved him for who he was and he loved her just the same.

With that in mind, he broke the kiss and headed around to the passenger's side of the car, flashing a smile at her in the process. She followed his lead and climbed into the driver's side, putting the key into the ignition at the same time that he clicked his seatbelt into place.

"So, we stopping to get your truck then?" Ryan questioned and he handed her over her cell phone, which he had tucked into his pocket minutes earlier.

"I think so. Did you want me to call your dad or would you prefer to do it yourself?"

"Well, I don't care but I think that if you pretended that this was official deputy business, then he'll be more likely to keep Kylie."

"You think that if I don't pretend that this is official business that he'll say no?" Jordan asked and Ryan laughed at him in response.

"I think so long as you ask nicely and don't divulge what your intentions are with his daughter then he'll have no reason to turn you down."

Jordan shook his head in amusement and waved out at the parking lot, signaling for her to get a move on. Without putting it off any longer, Jordan dialed Ken's number and hoped for the best.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Ryan was still very much exhausted when she woke up a couple hours after getting off work. If it hadn't been for Jordan's body pressed up against hers, she might've been inclined to let out a growl once her eyes were open, but the feeling of his arms around her bare waist, his warm breath against her shoulder, well it made waking up all that much easier.

Without wanting to disturb him too much, Ryan gently peeled herself away from him and shifted under the covers. Once she had moved though, Jordan's arms tightened around her middle and he clung to her, clearly not wanting her to move away just yet. She wasn't going to say anything out loud but she would've loved to have the freedom to just stay in bed with him all day, unfortunately that wasn't the case and Ryan had to be back at the hospital within the hour.

"Don't you have any sick time you could use?" Jordan murmured and pressed his nose against the back of her shoulder, placing a sweet kiss against her smooth skin.

"Do you?" She countered but relaxed in his hold. Jordan let out a groan in response and whether or not he did actually have sick time, she knew he wasn't going to use it, even if he did have a relatively reasonable excuse. She, on the other hand, had no reason not to go into work, except for the fact that she was tired, but she figured most of the staff would be tired for the next day or so.

"I don't want you to go." Jordan whispered and she rolled over in his hold, tucking her head under her chin and feeling his body move as he let out a large sigh. "I don't want to get up either, this is nice, just you and me."

"I know." She shut her eyes and held her breath, wondering if she'd ever have the guts to call in sick when she clearly wasn't. Playing hooky seemed like a decent idea, especially today, the day that Kylie wasn't home with her. "I can't afford to miss work, and neither can you, especially considering you still have your apartment."

While he had officially moved in to her house months earlier, Jordan hadn't gotten around to getting rid of his apartment. As soon as he had found out that he wasn't entirely human, he had been even more reluctant to give it up, at least if he had a place to stay away from her, then he could maybe put some distance between him and Ryan if he ever seemed to be a risk to others, or himself.

Ryan hadn't entirely agreed with his reasoning but she hadn't pushed him any further on the issue. Maybe if he didn't choose his apartment as one of the meeting spots with Lydia then she'd be more open to the idea of him still having a place, which he could always rent out to someone else at a later date. Jordan understood her hesitation though, he knew she didn't like the idea of him spending time alone with Lydia Martin, even if he believed that her jealousy was unwarranted.

"You have a point." Jordan mumbled and loosened his hold on her. He rolled onto his back but kept his one arm around her middle, holding her close to him, feeling her bare skin against his. "But it's so nice here."

"Come on, I have just enough time to make us grilled cheese." Ryan offered in an attempt to ease him out of bed. Jordan turned his head and pressed a chaste kiss against her temple before releasing her from his hold completely.

Seizing her opportunity, Ryan scooted to the side of the bed, nabbed her t-shirt off the nightstand and pulled it on over her head while she scanned the room in search of her underwear. Once her eyes spotted the lacy undergarment, she stood up and strode across to nab them, pulling them on one leg at a time.

Jordan watched her every move and when she headed for the closet door, he relaxed in the pillows, shut his eyes and let out a contented sigh. He adored spending his nights curled up with Ryan, whether Kylie was home or not, and one day he hoped that they could maybe become an official family. He hadn't brought the idea up to Ryan but it was there, in his head, he was definitely thinking of spending the rest of his life with her and Kylie. Proposing wasn't something he was going to do any time soon but he wanted to at least breach the topic, and then ask Ryan what would happen to Kylie if they ever did get married.

He wasn't opposed to her calling him dad, especially not after all the months he had spent with the little girl: tucking her in, reading her stories, he had even learned to tell her no in the last few months, but Kylie calling him dad wasn't something that he figured Ryan would take lightly.

She'd look at it as one of the most important remaining ties that Kylie had to Cole and if she started calling Jordan dad, then who was to say the little girl wouldn't forget about her biological father completely. Kylie was little, too little to remember much about Cole at all, but Jordan wanted her too, he wanted them both too. The last thing he desired was to see the house free from any and all pictures or items of Cole like it had been once before.

Cole's high school football jersey hung on the wall across the room from the bed and Jordan knew it had taken Ryan forever to agree to let him put it up. It had taken him even longer to get her to agree to hang up the pictures of Cole with the two girls.

"Did you want anything special for dinner tonight?" Ryan called out to him as she pulled a pair of scrub pants off a hanger. He opened his eyes and turned to face her, a small smile taking over his lips as he spotted her in nothing more than the scrub pants and her bra, which she had apparently put on while his eyes had been shut.

"Whatever you make is fine with me." Jordan answered and sat up in the bed. Ryan looked at him and tilted her head to the side before taking a few steps away from the closet and pulling the top drawer open on the dresser designated for Jordan. She produced a clean pair of boxer briefs and tossed them his way, watching as he stepped out from under the covers and right into his underwear.

"Pizza." Ryan smirked. "I think tonight's a good night for pizza."

"Pizza sounds good." Jordan nodded his agreement and sauntered over to her, taking her in his arms and hugging her against his chest. She tipped her head back and he leaned in, pressing his lips against hers, causing her to let out a moan in the process. When he moved his lips away, she pressed hers together and looked up at him through her lashes.

"I'd offer to cook something but I'm still exhausted." She admitted and her cheeks flushed pink in embarrassment. "I used to short shift myself all the time and I was never this tired."

"But did you have Kylie at that point?"

"Actually yeah." She smiled at her answer, her mind drifting to her darling little girl who had spent the night at her grandpa's. "See, I think I'm just getting old."

"You're not old." He teased and moved his hands downwards, his palms pressing against her hips and his fingers gripping her flesh roughly. "Experienced maybe, weathered…"

"Weathered, really?" She shook her head at him but continued smiling. "Whatever, it's probably just because I never used to have such rigorous morning sex after my late shifts."

"Oh I see, you're going to blame _me_ for this?" He raised an eyebrow in question and she lifted her hands up, resting her palms on his shoulders.

"I'm not going to say another word about our sex life." She shrugged her shoulders. "I'd hate for you to feel inferior in the bedroom department when compared to my late husband."

Jordan leaned in and pressed another kiss against her lips, his fingers biting into her skin a little rougher than they had been. Ryan reciprocated the gesture and moved up onto her tip toes, leaning into him and letting her chest brush against his. He bent down the tiniest little bit, ran his palms around her back and hugged her as he lifted her feet up off the ground.

Ryan wrapped her legs around his waist and steadied herself, his hands cupping her backside and giving her the support she needed so that the two of them didn't just tumble to the floor. A few seconds later, Ryan moved her head back a few inches, putting the slightest bit of space between their faces and effectively putting a stop to any more kissing that Jordan potentially had coming her way.

"Come on, I said I'd make us grilled cheese and I'm not even dressed yet. Time's a ticking deputy." She purred at him and Jordan waited for her legs to unwrap from around his waist before he loosened his hold on her.

Ryan's feet hit the carpeted floor and she moved out of his arms, heading back to the closet to grab a scrub shirt to match her pants. Jordan's eyes were glued to her as she finally pulled on a shirt, covering up her bra and the rest of her bare skin. Without putting it off any further, Ryan wandered over to her dresser, dug out a pair of white socks and left the room, leaving Jordan standing in the middle of it all by himself.

Shaking his head, he walked across the room and stopped in front of his dresser. Opening the middle drawer, he fished out a fresh, clean, unblemished uniform shirt and pulled it on, buttoning it up the front before grabbing his golden nametag off the top of the dresser.

He went in search of his clean uniform pants and once they were in his grasp and no longer on the hanger in the closet, he unbuttoned the waist and stepped into them, making sure to tuck in the bottom hem of his shirt. Doing up the button and the zipper, he set his sights on his belt but before he could look around the room, his phone vibrated against the nightstand.

Jordan moved right for it, lifted it up and looked at the screen where the incoming text message flashed, waiting to be read. Without putting it off, he unlocked the device and opened his messages, smiling at picture that Ken had sent both him and Ryan, a picture of Kylie, a huge smile on her face and her hands covered in pancake batter.

If this was what it was going to be like for years to come, then Jordan was really hoping him and Ryan would be together for as long as he was alive and breathing.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

 _ **Why thank you to all of you wonderful readers! And an equally big thank you to those that reviewed!**_

 _ **poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Woo! I Aim for better and better!**_

 _ **MysticEm: Ryarish, I think I like that! Thank you so much for the review and I'm so glad that you've been enjoying it! I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter too**_

 _ **Tiffany: Lydia will still play a key role in season 5 but obviously he's got Ryan, which means there's going to be some storms a brewing. I hope you stick with me though, Jordan and Ryan are the focus of this story and Lydia will not be with Jordan if Ryan's around. Thank you so much for the review!**_

 _ **sarahmichellegellarfan1: Aw thank you so much for your continued support and reviews!**_


	46. Chapter 46

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 46:_**

It was right back into the swing of things for Jordan, once he stepped into the sheriff's station, he headed for his desk and got to work filling out the report pertaining to the events of the night before. He knew he had to record what exactly had happened during his 'noise complaint' but he also knew that there were clearly parts of the story that would need to be embellished; or left out of the report completely.

Sitting at his desk and trying to figure out the best way to word the report, he let out a frustrated sigh and tore his eyes off the computer screen. He looked into the sheriff's office, where the sheriff himself, as well as his very own son, were conversing, both of them talking animatedly but Stiles' motions were particularly sporadic this morning. Jordan kept his eyes on them for a few seconds longer and theorized that they were most likely arguing about something that had happened the night before, something supernatural that had spawned from the events of the thunderstorm.

Jordan's mind wandered back to the wolf-like creature that had attacked him in the basement and he found himself wondering if the man had managed to get his hands on Scott. He sure hoped that the man hadn't harmed anyone and since the sheriff hadn't seemed too out of character that morning, he figured that Scott McCall was still alive. As for him being unscathed, well, Jordan didn't want to think about what sort of damage the strange creature with the glowing blue claws could inflict but seeing as Stiles was here, in the sheriff's station, instead of somewhere else, it wasn't hard for Jordan to conclude that Scott was probably doing just fine.

"Parrish!" The sheriff's voice called out from his office and Jordan jerked to attention, happy that he had a distraction, even if it was just for a few seconds.

"Yes sir?" Jordan replied and scooted back in his chair. He stood up as the sheriff approached him, Stiles right behind him.

"Do me a favour, I need you to run a background check on someone but I need it off the books, understand?" The sheriff requested, his voice low so that no lingering ears could hear. Jordan nodded his head and Stiles stepped around him, leaning on the edge of Jordan's desk, his fingers curling around the edge.

"Theo Raeken." Stiles supplied and Jordan carefully lowered himself back into his chair. The sheriff looked between Stiles and Jordan, gave them a nod and headed back into his office. Stiles stepped around Jordan's desk and took up a stance behind him, looking over his shoulder at the computer screen on the desk. "And his direct family."

Jordan brought up the right program and began typing into the search bar. Stiles didn't budge behind him and Jordan figured that whatever this 'off the record background check' was needed for was most likely something to do with the supernatural, much like most of the favours the sheriff asked him to do for Stiles.

Pulling up Theo Raeken's file on the computer, Jordan's eyes glanced over the information held there. He stole a quick look at Stiles, who was also reading over the file, and wondered what the Stilinski boy was looking for. There wasn't much on the kid's record, and Jordan didn't figure Stiles had found anything incriminating, if that's even what he was looking for.

"His parents now?" Jordan asked and Stiles nodded his head, turning sideways and leaning his hip against the edge of the desk. Stiles crossed his arms over his chest and let out a frustrated sigh, whatever he was looking for was clearly something important. "Who _is_ this kid?"

"Theo?" Stiles countered and Jordan gave him a quick nod. "He's uh, well he's a guy that used to live in Beacon Hills. He showed up last night."

"Showed up?" Jordan furrowed his eyebrows together and found his mind drifting to an all important question: why would anyone who left Beacon Hills want to come back, especially if they were aware of what was going on?

Well, _was_ this Theo kid aware of what was going on? What was his angle and why was he 'showing' up during one of the worst storms that Beacon Hills had ever seen?

"Scott was fighting with this other werewolf, he wasn't…he wasn't doing so good but then Theo Raeken shows up, helps Scott kick this other werewolf's butt and then just expects us to accept what he says as being the truth. Yeah, okay." Stiles scoffed and Jordan shook his head.

"Scott was fighting with another werewolf?" Jordan questioned and found himself thinking that maybe he was closer to finding out what happened to the beast in the basement than even he could've imagined.

"Yup, big, ugly, mean guy too."

"Glowing blue claws?" Jordan cocked his head to the side and Stiles narrowed his eyes in on the deputy.

"You know about him?"

"Not really." Jordan offered up with a shrug. "But I saw the guy."

Stiles jerked his head from side to side and leaned in a little bit closer to Jordan, studying his face in detail. Stiles was clearly a curious teenager and Jordan rather liked his keen curiosity, but there was something in his current look that didn't sit well with Jordan; it was almost like he was accusing him and yet Jordan hadn't done anything wrong.

"You- you saw him?" Stiles repeated the words and Jordan straightened up in his chair.

"Last night I was sent out on a noise complaint. So I go to this house and I hear this weird noise coming from inside the basement walls." Jordan started to explain and Stiles just stared at him, waiting to hear more. "My goal was to break the wall but I hit it a couple times and then it started oozing."

"Oozing? Like a liquid was running out of the wall?"

"Exactly, it sort of looked like the wall was bleeding." Jordan nodded. "Anyways, the concrete breaks and this giant beast of a man steps out of the rubble and asks for Scott McCall."

"He _asked_ for Scott?" Stiles squinted his eyes at Jordan and uncrossed his arms, only to set his hands on his hips instead. "By name?"

"He literally asked for 'Scott McCall'."

Stiles turned to look around him, making sure that there weren't any uninvited guests listening in on their conversation. The last thing either of them needed was to give anyone else a reason to believe that there were supernatural forces at work in the town. When Stiles' eyes locked back on Jordan, he merely waited patiently for the teenager to ask whatever it was he needed to ask, or say whatever it was that he needed to say.

"Did you say anything?" Stiles hissed and Jordan looked at the boy, a confused expression on his face. "About where to find Scott?"

"I didn't say anything about Scott. I claimed that I never heard of him, which is why I ended up at the hospital after that."

"He attacked you too?" Stiles gaped at him and Jordan gave him a nod. "Bad?"

"Well I'm here aren't I?" Jordan looked up at Stiles with a half-smile but when Stiles didn't seem to find any humour in the situation, he let out a huff of frustration and shook his head no. "Bad, maybe, I don't know. One second I'm bleeding out from the chest in the basement and when I wake up I'm lying in the morgue at the hospital with your dad, Melissa McCall and Ryan standing around me."

Stiles lowered himself down and got even closer to Jordan, eliminating enough space between them to make Jordan feel slightly uncomfortable with his proximity. Stiles dropped his hands away from his hips and studied Jordan carefully, looking for any lingering wounds from the night before.

"But you're okay now?" Stiles questioned and tilted his head sideways, looking Jordan up and down.

"I'm okay. Everything healed up."

"And what was it you said about his claws?" Stiles pressed and Jordan sucked in a breath, trying to remember what happened in as much detail as he could.

The whole incident was blurry in his head, he remembered the before part; where he had heard the noises from the wall and had tried to break it, but between that point and waking up in the hospital, well it wasn't entirely clear. He knew that he had been attacked, the beast had lifted him off the ground and then clawed at his chest, and he could recall their conversation for the most part, but whether it was real or just his mind, that was the confusing part.

In addition to remembering what he did, he also remembered that he had heard Kylie giggling, he had heard Ryan's soft, soothing voice and he had _seen_ Lydia Martin before passing out from the pain. In his eyes, he wasn't sure what was real and what wasn't because he knew for sure that Ryan hadn't been in the basement that night at all, she had been at work, and Kylie, well Kylie had been with her grandpa and there was absolutely no reason, or explanation, Jordan could come up with to justify Kylie actually being in the basement with him. He had come up with the idea that he had been hallucinating, but why Lydia was there, well that had scared him.

She was a banshee after all, she predicted death before it happened, and seeing her in front of him made him wonder if maybe he was going to die. When he had woken up in the morgue on the steel table, relief had flooded him but seconds after seeing Ryan, as well as the sheriff and Melissa, he wondered if he had died and he _had been_ in some version of heaven.

He still wasn't one hundred per cent sure but he had pinched himself when no one was looking and he had felt it. He had felt Ryan hugging him in the hallway after they had wandered out of the morgue, he had felt her holding his hand, he had _felt_ every single movement she had made the night before in not only the bath tub but the bed as well.

If he was dreaming, it definitely felt real, and that was enough for Jordan.

"His claws glowed blue." Jordan said softly and turned his attention back to computer screen. He didn't really want to talk about his ordeal anymore, he just wanted to accept that it was over, for the time being anyways.

Focusing on the screen, he looked up Theo Raeken's mother first and didn't find anything. He let Stiles get a good look at her file before moving on to look over his father's file.

"I saw them too." Stiles murmured, catching Jordan off guard. "I saw the blue glow."

Jordan nodded his head subtly and pulled up Theo Raeken's father on the screen. His eyes scanned it over and he glanced over at Stiles, who was doing the same. When he reached the bottom, he spotted an attachment to the file and clicked on it, bringing it up in a separate window. Jordan looked over the typical speeding ticket and turned his attention to Stiles.

"Scott's okay?" Jordan asked in a low tone. "I mean, if the same guy attacked him that attacked me…then he's okay?"

Stiles peered between the screen and Jordan's eyes, hesitating and holding the deputy's gaze for a split second longer. He sucked in a breath, straightened up and pushed himself off the edge of the desk.

"He seems okay but that doesn't mean I like what went down last night. Something weird happened and that guy wasn't any typical werewolf that I know of."

"He felt…powerful." Jordan supplied and Stiles gave him a nod. "More powerful than anything I've ever seen."

"More powerful than Scott do you think?" Stiles asked and Jordan took the boy's question to heart. It was apparent, by Stiles' statement seconds earlier, that Scott was okay, which meant that the beast hadn't managed to hurt him, or steal his alpha powers like Jordan had theorized, but did that mean that there weren't more just like the stranger out there that would be coming for Scott next?

"I don't know." Jordan shook his head disappointedly. "Honestly, I thought for sure that that guy would give Scott a run for his money, he completely decimated me in a matter of seconds _and_ without a second thought."

"Did he say what he wanted from Scott?" Stiles continued to ask questions and Jordan was finding himself upset that he didn't have answers. "Did he say anything about why he was here?"

"No, nothing." Jordan blew out a breath of air and relaxed in his seat. He made a move to print the speeding ticket off with the intention of starting a new paper file, but once the paper came out of the printer a few feet away, Stiles made a move to grab it. He took hold of the edge, folded it up into four and tucked it into his back pocket.

Jordan merely shook his head at Stiles, who gave him a nod of thanks before taking off for the front door of the sheriff's station.

All Jordan could do now was get back to filling out his incident report from the night before, even if it meant bringing more questions than answers.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

The idea of helping Lydia Martin with issues regarding the supernatural probably should've bothered Jordan more than it did, but there was something about helping the younger girl, something that made him feel like maybe he had a purpose in Beacon Hills, aside from being a damn good deputy.

When his cell phone buzzed with a text message from the girl in question, Jordan debated his next move. On one hand, this could easily be a matter for the sheriff's department, and more specifically, a job for the deputy with knowledge of the supernatural; but on the other hand, who was to say that Lydia hadn't figured out what he was, or maybe even just a clue as to what he was? Ignoring the text wasn't in the cards and pushing past the idea of Ryan being slightly upset by his actions, he opened the text and read it.

Lydia was requesting that he call her whenever he had a free minute and how convenient it was for them both that he wasn't really that busy at work as it was. He had just finished up his report a little while ago and had moved on to cleaning up his log files from when he had been on desk duty the night before. If Jordan could've changed once thing about his job, it would definitely be the paperwork; there was too much of it, too many reports to fill out, too many logs to file and for what?

Okay, he knew why he had to do it, but when he found himself lying on incident reports in order to cover up the supernatural, part of him wondered how useful the files would be later on when someone who didn't know about werewolves or banshees opened it up and read through. There would be pieces that didn't fit, parts that didn't make sense, and in the grand scheme of things, how was that any better than not filling the reports in at all?

Shaking his head at his whole internal conflict, he nabbed the phone residing in the cradle on his desk and quickly dialed the strawberry blonde's number, knowing it by heart. There were only a few numbers that he knew by heart: Lydia's, Ryan's, Ken's and the appropriate numbers pertaining to his job, such as the sheriff's station hotline or the hospital. Other than that, Jordan relied on his cell phone contact list and the internet, plus a few speed dials programmed onto his work phone.

As he lifted the phone up to his ear, he sandwiched it between his head and shoulder, freeing up both hands to use for his computer. He had wanted to be ready in case she requested his assistance and whatever it was that she needed, well his best bet for information was probably going to be the computer in front of his very eyes.

Her voice sounded out in the phone and she didn't seen surprised at all. Much like the typical Lydia Martin, she sounded calm, cool and collected, even if she wasn't, he knew she wouldn't let others see her freaking out, unless the situation warranted it.

"Deputy." She greeted him in her sultry tone and Jordan looked down at the screen on his cell phone, which resided on the surface of his desk. A picture of him, Ryan and Kylie as his background looked back up at him, almost taunting him as he spoke to a much younger girl than his current significant other, the same young girl that tended to get Ryan a little hot under the collar whenever he mentioned her name.

"You wanted me to call." Jordan tried to keep it short, sweet and to the point, fearing that if Ryan caught wind of what he was doing that she'd blow a gasket. She hadn't yet but he knew that with every phone call, text or meet-up with Lydia that she was growing angrier and angrier and one day who was to say that she wouldn't just explode.

The girl already struggled with emotional issues, not that he could blame her. She _had_ lost her husband in the massacre that was infamous around town, and now she was dating a man in the very same profession that her late husband had been a part of. In Jordan's eyes, her issues were warranted, without a doubt.

"I have a bit of a problem." Lydia drawled and Jordan straightened up at her words.

Okay, a problem, yes, a problem, that was definitely something he could deal with. So long as she wasn't calling just to talk, or to discuss the latest high school drama, then Jordan could work with her.

"What sort of problem?"

Lydia let out a breathy hum and hesitated. He figured she was just trying to piece what she wanted to say together in a way that wouldn't be too obvious in case there were others around her that didn't understand the severity of the situation. He didn't need someone freaking out because they had just discovered that werewolves existed, and in their own town no less.

"Well, see, the thing is, it's hard to explain. Do you think you could meet me somewhere and maybe check something out for me and my friend?" Lydia's voice was borderline purring at him and he glanced down at his phone one more time, catching sight of Ryan and Kylie's smiling faces looking back at him. Right, yes, that was a good enough reminder for him that he was a taken man, and he was happy with his two girls.

Lydia was just going to have to understand that.

"That depends on where you want to meet." Jordan countered and even he was surprised by how smooth his voice sounded. Where had that come from? Why was he playing Lydia's games when he had a perfectly wonderful and attractive girlfriend named Ryan Sloane?

"The Stewart house, Tracy Stewart's house to be more specific. I can explain more when I see you."

 _When I see you_. Jordan felt his stomach knotting at her words, it wasn't only that but the way that she said them, like she was looking forward to their meeting. He knew that he had to put a stop to whatever the hell was going on between him and Lydia but he always found it hard to get the words out. It wasn't like he was intentionally doing or saying the things he was doing or saying, it was just the way he was; he was a nice guy and he owned it.

Ryan would never see it that way though and Jordan shook his head at the thought, pushing Ryan's concerns to the back of his mind. Lydia claimed that she had a problem, he was going to meet up with her at someone else's house, assuming that the someone else in question was going to be there with them. Well that couldn't cause any problems, could it?

"When were you thinking you wanted to meet up?" Jordan asked her, fighting off the urge to sigh at his current dilemma. Part of him knew that Ryan wasn't going to be pleased, no matter what the real problem was, but another part of him knew that if he didn't go and meet with Lydia, then things involving the supernatural might get a little out of hand.

"Half an hour, does that work for you?" Lydia questioned and Jordan's eyes fell to the screen in front of him, searching for Tracy Stewart in the system in order to get her address. He didn't answer right away, instead, he looked at where the girl lived in regards to the sheriff's station. It was possible, unlikely but possible, that she was further away that he was anticipating, which meant that depending on her house location, he might need more than half an hour to get there.

Once he spotted the address though, a smile broke out on his face and he couldn't help but know that it would be a ten minute drive at most. Half an hour sounded just fine to him, all he had to do was let someone know he was heading out on a call and then make the drive to Tracy Stewart's house.

"Half an hour works for me." Jordan answered and leaned back in his chair, his eyes moving over the address that he was going to be heading too.

Lydia said her goodbye and hung up the phone, prompting Jordan to do the same. He debated calling Ryan and letting her know what was up and that he didn't know what time he'd be home, but he figured if he was running late for dinner, which was quite a ways away, then he'd call her then. She had mentioned pizza for dinner and the more he thought about it, the more he wanted to be there with her and Kylie in time to share a pizza with them.

Crossing his arms over his chest, he sucked in a breath and prayed that this was going to be an easy problem to deal with. Tracy Stewart was part of it and Lydia had wanted to meet at the girl's house, which could mean one of two things: she was something to do with the supernatural, or Lydia was really eager to get Jordan involved in whatever was going on.

Looking back at his phone, and smiling at the picture that was his background, he held his breath and hoped that this wouldn't take too long. He had a family to get back to and he wanted to get off work in time to see them.

He sort of wanted to check in with Ryan and make sure that she was doing okay at work. He knew how tired she had been when she had gone in and he was well aware of how hard it would be to work anywhere while being that tired, but calling her meant disturbing her at work and that wasn't something that he took lightly.

She was a busy nurse, she was a good nurse, and if he started calling her too much then he'd start causing her to lose some of that. He didn't want to disturb her and tell her all about Lydia's call, but he did want to make sure she was okay.

He had half an hour before he had to be at Tracy Stewart's house, which meant that he had half an hour to kill, which was plenty of time for him to stop at a coffee shop, pick up a coffee for both himself and Ryan, and then drop it off for her.

Oh yes, why wouldn't she appreciate a hot coffee drop off, which would double as a mask for what he was really trying to do: was check up on her. Jordan couldn't help but smile at his wonderful idea, all he had to do was get his butt in gear, after all, time was a ticking.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Uh oh! How do you think Ryan's going to feel about him helping Lydia out?_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: aw, thank you so much for your continued support and your feedback!_**

 ** _sarahmichellegellarfan1: Thank you so much for the review!_**

 ** _A: First of all, thank you so much for the review, I love hearing from you and I'm glad that you like the fact that Jordan and Ryan can talk about serious issues like adults. Ryan's reactions into the rest of the season, oh, well, you'll just have to stick around to find out ;)_**


	47. Chapter 47

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 47:_**

Melissa had been keeping a keen eye on Ryan any chance she could. The poor girl looked completely exhausted and while she was no stranger to short shifting, she knew that this wasn't the typical tiredness associated with a lack of sleep. Maybe there was something on the girl's mind that was keeping her from a restful slumber, maybe she was suffering from nightmares much like she had when Cole had initially passed away, either way, Melissa was worried and she wasn't going to keep her concerns to herself for much longer.

While she was standing at the desk, waiting for the ward clerk sitting down to finalize the next file, Melissa spotted Ryan wandering out of one of the examination rooms with a perplexed look on her face. She waited for Ryan to get a little closer, even going as far as to study her form for a few seconds, before deciding that this was the perfect time for her to intervene. She was going to talk to Ryan about her exhaustion and she wasn't going to let the girl off without talking to her.

"Hey Ryan!" Melissa called out to her and her eyes jerked upwards, locking on Melissa. Ryan smiled at her comrade and picked up the pace, closing the distance between them quicker than the pace she had been moving at before being beckoned. "Got a minute?"

With a nod of her head, Ryan then motioned towards the side of the hallway where they could talk without standing in the way of other people.

"What's up?" Ryan questioned and stepped over to the side, Melissa following her lead and leaning against the wall while Ryan stood in front of her, her arms crossed over her chest. "You okay?"

"Tired but hey, aren't we all?" Melissa joked with a smile and Ryan gave her a chuckle, more for sympathy than for anything. "Speaking of tired, are you going to make it to the end of your shift or are you going to crap out before then?"

Ryan furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and glanced around the hall, wondering what had set this entire conversation in motion. Had someone noticed her lagging behind and commented to Melissa about her work? Had someone been watching her, waiting for her to screw up because she was so tired?

"I'm going to make it." Ryan answered defensively and looked down at her feet, shying away from Melissa's accusatory gaze. "Why?"

"I'm just worried, that's all." Melissa shrugged and Ryan let out a soft sigh. "I've seen you tired and this is _beyond_ tired. Everything okay at home?"

Taking Melissa's words to heart, Ryan thought about her home life. Kylie was fine, better than fine even. Apparently all it took for the little girl to settle down slightly was for her to have a stable home environment, which included the one and only Jordan Parrish. It wasn't that Ryan needed a man in her life, on the contrary, she had been doing fine without one, but having someone there with her, someone to share the responsibilities, was nice, giving Ryan an opportunity to spend more time with her daughter and less time worrying about things that weren't even within her control.

Jordan being in her life was something she'd put in the plus column as well. There was no reason why he would be causing her any sort of grief, aside from the time he continued to spend alone with Lydia Martin, but that didn't affect her sleeping patterns at all.

Even her own father seemed more easy going than before Jordan had become a part of their lives. She knew it was because he had gained a lot more free time now that Ryan had a co-parent who could look after Kylie when she wasn't able to. So in her mind, everything at home was fine, just fine, which only served to confuse Ryan even more.

If everything was 'fine' then why _was_ she so tired and why were other people noticing?

"Everything's good." Ryan answered in a low tone and Melissa reached a hand out, giving Ryan's wrist a comforting squeeze.

"Maybe you're being kept up at night because of, well, because you've got a pretty new boy toy who needs to be played with?" Melissa suggested and Ryan scoffed at her.

"I'm not getting in to my sex life with you." She smirked.

"If not me, then who else?" Melissa challenged and Ryan shook her head in disbelief. Melissa certainly had a point, it wasn't like Ryan had all that many other female friends; mostly she conversed with other nurses and then spent her free time with Kylie and Jordan. She hadn't been out on a girls' night in a long time.

"Fine, but my sex life is fine." Ryan countered and twisted her body so that she was leaning against the wall beside Melissa.

"I bet it is." Melissa chuckled and Ryan rolled her eyes at her friend.

"You're just jealous that I'm dating a gorgeous-"

"Of course I'm jealous!" Melissa cut her off with a grin. "What I wouldn't give to have someone who looks like the good ole deputy waiting for me when I got home from work."

Ryan stifled a laugh and looked sideways at Melissa, waiting for her to continue speaking. The conversation hadn't gotten as awkward as Ryan had imagined it could have but she knew it was bordering on inappropriate for work. Sooner or later, the fun would have to end and they'd both have to get back to their jobs, but for the time being, she was content talking to Melissa in the hallway.

"He's really good with Kylie too." Ryan confessed, a smile gracing her lips at the thought of Jordan and Kylie together.

"Of course he is. He's practically perfect in every way." Melissa murmured. "So it's not the sex that's keeping you up at night, which in turn would make you extra tired then?"

Ryan shook her head no and leaned down, resting her forehead against Melissa's shoulder. Melissa slipped one arm around her and gave her a half-hearted hug, feeling Ryan relaxing against her.

"I worry about him when he's not home." Ryan admitted and let her eyes fall shut. "And now, especially after last night, I worry about him when we're not together. I know it's his job as a deputy to go out and help people but I don't want the same thing to happen to Jordan as it did to Cole."

"Worrying about him is normal." Melissa replied softly and Ryan let out another sigh. "When my husband was still living at home with us, I'd get a little scared every time he walked out the door, but that's part of life."

"I know." Ryan breathed the word out. "I get that but I can't help it. I just- I lost one good man, what's stopping me from losing another? What if I'm cursed or something and people who I fall in love with just end up getting hurt?"

"That's not even close to being true." Melissa argued, Ryan peeling herself away from Melissa but letting the older woman's arm remain around her middle. "It wouldn't matter even if it was, Jordan loves you, he's going to be there for you and I know it can be scary sometimes but he's always going to do whatever he can to get back to you. There's nothing that's going to get in his way when it comes to you."

Ryan nodded her head in understanding and looked out at the hallway. There still didn't seem to be much of a pick-up in the work that needed to be done, so maybe a few more minutes with Melissa wouldn't be all that big of a deal. Ryan figured that the managers of the floor were maybe going a little easy on anyone who had been at the hospital during the night and was back to work their day shift currently.

"I just love him so much." Ryan whispered. "I don't want anything to happen to him- to us."

"Then maybe you ought to have a little faith that it won't." Melissa smiled at her and finally removed her arm from around Ryan. "Maybe you should hope that things will work out."

"He keeps going out to meet up with Lydia Martin though, he tells me that it's a _supernatural_ thing but it's getting harder and harder to keep calm. I don't trust her and I definitely don't like how close they are."

Melissa took her concerns to heart and thought about how to appropriately respond, "he loves you, anyone can see it in the way he looks at you. Whatever him and Lydia Martin are doing together doesn't even compare to what you two have."

With another nod of her head, Ryan stepped away from the wall, smiled at her friend and then proceeded to head back to the main desk, Melissa following her closely. She let the older woman nab the file that she had been waiting on minutes earlier and then leaned against the edge of the desk waiting for her own file to be ready.

Giving Ryan one more reassuring squeeze on her wrist, Melissa took off down the hall, disappearing into one of the examination rooms and leaving Ryan at the front desk with the thoughts of Jordan and what might happen to him looming on her mind.

When a slight pressure came against her lower back, she jumped back from the desk and collided with a figure that hadn't been there seconds ago. She lifted her arms up in surrender but felt instant relief at the sound of Jordan's voice.

"I didn't mean to scare you." He said, Ryan pulling herself back together from her slight scare. "You were a million miles away just now, something wrong?"

She shook her head and forced a smile onto her lips, "tired, just tired."

"Well it's a good thing I brought you this then." Jordan announced and held his hand out towards her, a giant cup of coffee in his grasp. "Biggest one they had."

She felt the sweet relief on her body instantly at the sight and without hesitating for a second, she grasped the coffee and took it from him, lifting it up and smelling the heavenly aroma through the small hole in the lid.

"You're perfect." She grinned and took a step closer to him, his arm coming around her shoulders as she moved to stand against his chest. "Perfect I say."

"I know." He teased her back and she tipped her head back, looking up at him and taking in the sight of his charming smile. "I figured you might need a pick-me-up."

"You weren't wrong." She countered. "God you're too good to me."

"I try." Jordan smiled cheekily at her. "You holding up okay?"

Ryan nodded her head yes and took a sip of the hot liquid, feeling the warmth radiating through her chest as it passed down her throat. She didn't break her eye contact with him and continued to smile as she took yet another sip, dramatically making a contented humming noise as she did so.

"Better now." She murmured and Jordan produced a small brown paper bag that had been folded and tucked into his pocket. She scrunched up her nose at him and took it when he offered it to her, fumbling the bag in her one hand as she tried to peek inside. "And cookies, Jesus Christ I love you."

"Are you talking to the cookies, or me?" Jordan joked and Ryan met his gaze.

"Obviously the cookies." She snorted but shook her head at him. "I love you too though, and _not_ just because you bring me coffee and cookies."

"Okay." He looked at her skeptically and she jerked the bag towards him, offering him one of the cookies without using any words. He reached in and nabbed one before lifting it out and taking a bite.

"What are you doing out of the office anyways?" She teased and he finished chewing the bite of cookie in his mouth before answering.

"Got a call, I'm heading over to check it out right now and figured I'd stop by."

"You got a call?"

"Yeah, from Lydia." He said hesitantly and she stiffened up at the mentioning of the girl's name. "Don't worry, I'm heading to the Stewart's just to check something."

She sucked in a breath and narrowed her eyes, "fine. Make sure you're home for dinner though, okay?"

He smiled at her, "of course, it's family pizza night."

"It certainly is. And don't be flirting with her." Ryan instructed and Jordan lifted his hands up in surrender.

"You're the only girl for me."

"Woman." Ryan corrected and he looked at her funny. "I'm the only _woman_ for you."

"Sure." He chuckled in response and leaned in towards her, pressing a sweet little kiss on her lips before straightening up and taking another bite of cookie.

"Be careful, okay?" Ryan bit out and Jordan nodded his understanding. "And don't do anything dangerous."

He smiled at her one last time, turned his back to her and started walking for the exit, leaving her in the hallway with a coffee in one hand, a bag of cookies in the other and a lingering sense of uneasiness flooding through her veins.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Lydia was already standing outside the front door of the Stewart house when Jordan pulled up and he couldn't help but notice the girl next to him, but more importantly, the uneasy look on her face. Lydia, on the other hand, seemed perfectly comfortable for the time being and Jordan wasn't entirely sure what he was expecting but nonetheless, he climbed out of his truck, peeled off his jacket and set it on the seat before closing the door.

He took a quick look up and down the street and then surveyed the front of the house, trying to decide if there was an obvious reason why he had been called to this particular address. When he finally made it within a few feet of the two girls, Lydia smiled at him while the other girl, Tracy he presumed, pulled the front door of the house open and began leading them inside.

Lydia hung back though and met his eyes, giving him a silent signal to stay with her for a second longer too; whatever she wanted to say to him, she wanted to say in private, and that was just find with him. Maybe he'd be able to find out the exact reason for her call to him.

"Something _weird_ is going on with her." Lydia said in a soft voice and Jordan gave her a slight nod, encouraging her to go on. "She threw up all over my mother's desk but it wasn't just…it was black."

"Black, well that's not good."

"Not even for the supernatural." Lydia explained vaguely and when Jordan stared at her in confusion, she let out a sigh, "When werewolves bleed black, it's not a good sign. I can only imagine how 'not good of a sign' it is for someone to projectile vomit up as much black ooze as Tracy did at school."

"Right." He nodded his understanding, wondering where exactly this conversation was going. So Tracy was apparently involved in the supernatural, but why did that warrant Jordan being at her house, what purpose did he serve?

"She told me she gets really bad night terrors and last night she thought someone was trying to get into her room." Lydia stated. "That's why I called you, I thought that maybe you could take a look around her house and see if you can't find any _clues_ or something?"

Jordan looked up at the front of the house and held his breath for a second. If he was going to be going into Tracy Stewart's house so that he could look around her room for clues of someone trying to break in, well he was going to need a little more information, wasn't he?

"Does she _know_ about the supernatural?" Jordan pressed but kept his voice low. Lydia gave him a slight shrug and peeked over to the front door.

"I'm not sure, at this point, I'd like to assume that she doesn't and if we could keep it that way-"

"Got it." Jordan nodded, cutting her off. He took in a deep breath and surged forward, entering the Stewart house without putting it off for another second. Once he was just inside the front door, he glanced back to make sure Lydia was right behind him and when his eyes landed on the strawberry blonde tagging along he shook his head amusedly.

Jordan continued to walk further into the house and when Tracy appeared around the corner in front of him, he picked up his pace and headed right for her, following her as she led them a bedroom at the end of the hallway. Tracy moved to the side and looked out into her room, letting Jordan take the lead while Lydia took up a stance next to Tracy.

"So what's going on?" Tracy asked in a soft, scared voice while Jordan began to wander around the room, looking every which way he could to get a feel for the layout and locate the points of entry.

"I'm just looking for anything that stands out." Jordan answered calmly and approached the first window that he came too. He looked out the glass and took in the sight of the yard behind the house, then he squared up with the window and ran his fingers along the trim, feeling for anything that seemed out of place.

"I thought I heard…I thought I heard birds last night, like they were pecking at the windows, trying to get into my room."

"Birds, well…okay, that gives me somewhere to start." Jordan murmured and lifted his hand up, resting it against the middle of the window, where the latch resided.

Flipping the lock on the top of the first window, he lifted it upwards and looked all around the window sill and ledge as best as he could from inside the house. The two girls migrated towards him, splitting off and taking up stances on either side of him. Lydia was looking at the hand drawn sketches littering the walls while Tracy simply watched Jordan working.

"I feel like such an idiot, the skylight's sealed, my dad…he wanted to make sure the room was weatherproofed." Tracy murmured and Jordan shook his head, running his hands along the tracks for the window.

"I don't see any signs of an attempted forced entry." Jordan stated and turned to face into the room, looking right at Tracy. "The latch seems okay. You said something about birds, Tracy?"

"The bird was at the skylight, the one that woke me up." Tracy answered, her eyes looking upwards at the object in question. Sunlight was shining into the room, providing a bit of natural light into the otherwise dimly lit room.

"Can I take a look?" Jordan asked.

Tracy gave him a nod and Jordan moved right for the stepladder that was leaning against the wall next to her bed. He grabbed hold of it and set it up on the carpet floor directly under the skylight, then he carefully mounted the steps while setting his hand on the wood around the window and stood at the top of the ladder.

Jordan looked all around the edge of the skylight and observed the point of possible entry into the house. Here she had mentioned something about birds and it sounding like they were trying to get into her room. The birds had woken her up and apparently she had freaked out, which sounded like a fairly common reaction to him.

"Tracy, you said the skylight was sealed for weatherproofing?" Jordan questioned and pressed his fingers against the pane of glass making up the skylight.

"Yeah. Why?" Tracy's voice sounded confused, maybe even a little scared, and once she was done talking, he put pressure against the skylight and forced it upwards, opening it with little to no effort. Tracy shied away from his gaze nervously and waited in silence for him to check out the roof.

When he straightened up and looked outside onto the roof, he took in the sight of the dead birds littered all over the shingles without making a sound, fearful that he might freak the poor girl out even more. Whatever the hell had happened to her last night, whatever she had heard, was definitely out of the ordinary and the sight of the carnage littering the top of her house didn't sit well with him. There were far too many dead, mangled birds lying motionless on her roof for him to feel comfortable leaving the house, and leaving Lydia's concern on the backburner.

The clear and concise scratch marks in the window sill had thrown him off too. If Tracy had claimed that the window was sealed, if she had thought that there was no way that the window was supposed to open, then what the hell had tried to get into her room the night before and what had happened to all of the dead black birds scattered about from the window to the edge of the roof in a sort of line or pattern?

"Anything?" Lydia spoke up and Jordan glanced down at her in time to witness her moving her lips, almost as though she was asking 'what' without sound coming out of her throat.

"No. Nothing."

He then looked from Lydia to Tracy and studied the scared girl standing nearby before carefully climbing back down the steps. Lydia raised her eyebrows at him but he ignored her motions completely, instead, he folded up the ladder and set it back against the wall where he had found it leaning minutes earlier. Tracy looked up at him and he forced what he was hoping was a reassuring smile in her direction, then he looked over to Lydia.

"Nothing's good, right?" Lydia questioned, clearly sensing that Tracy needed to be reassured as well.

"Nothing's not bad." Jordan replied noncommittally.

"Right, well…"

"I'll just show myself out." Jordan nodded and made a move to head for the hallway again, only Lydia left Tracy in her bedroom and followed along behind him.

Neither one of them said a word to the other, not until they were outside, and even when they were sure that the front door of the house was shut, they wandered down the driveway and stood next to his truck. Lydia looked over at him and he continued to head for his vehicle, Lydia matching each and every one of his steps with one of her own.

"Did you really not see anything?" Lydia asked in a hushed tone as they crossed the front yard and moved closer and closer to the truck. When they were standing beside the front of it, Jordan slowed down his pace and looked sideways at her.

"Not exactly. I can't do anything official right now, but I can come back after my shift tonight and watch the house for a couple of hours." Jordan offered and Lydia stopped walking, spinning around so that she was facing him.

"I'll keep you company." Lydia shot back with a soft smile.

"I think I'll be okay." Jordan pointed out and smiled back at her.

"But this is your own time." Lydia remarked casually. As if that was going to change his mind, Lydia wasn't a trained deputy, she didn't really need to be anywhere near Tracy's house, especially at night and especially not if Ryan was going to already be worried about him being out after dark on his own.

No, this was definitely not a place for a teenaged girl and all he could think to do was to try and persuade her that he could handle this all on his own.

"I wouldn't do it if I didn't think something strange was going on." Jordan explained, knowing that it wasn't like the rest of the sheriff's deputies were aware of the supernatural and this was clearly something pertaining to the supernatural. "I also owe you."

"For what?" Lydia continued to smile at him, even though she was clearly confused. Apparently in her mind, he didn't owe her anything.

"Three weeks of digging through every piece of old literature and mythology trying to figure out there's something strange going on with _me_." Jordan stated and immediately his mind drifted to Ryan.

Ryan wasn't going to like the idea of him doing an off the books reconnaissance mission, not one bit and it wasn't like he could request another officer to hang out at Tracy Stewart's house all night, there was no cause for concern and there were more important things for the other deputies to do. This one was all on Jordan, but the idea of trying to explain that to Ryan already had him feeling uneasy.

She wasn't the easiest to convince on a good day and she already knew that this particular house call was because of Lydia. He knew she was jealous of all the time he was spending with the strawberry blonde and the more time that he _did_ spend with Lydia Martin, the more he wondered if Ryan wasn't unjustified in being a little jealous after all. It wasn't like Lydia didn't flirt with him on occasion, and she did tend to veer away from the professionalism that he had been hoping for when she had first agreed to help him.

"But we never figured it out." Lydia pointed out matter-of-factly and tipped her head from side to side. She gave him a slight shrug, as if this whole idea of keeping him company was no big deal. "I'll bring you coffee."

"Don't you have school tomorrow?" Jordan asked, hoping that she'd say yes, that she'd forget all about joining him for his secret nighttime job.

"One class." Lydia answered.

"How can you only have one class?" Jordan was curious, what sort of teenager only had one class?

"I had enough credits to graduate last year and I will bring you coffee at midnight if I want to." Lydia tipped her head down and looked up at him through her lashes. He considered her offer one more time and debated what he really wanted to happen that night.

On one hand, he liked the idea of having company, someone to bounce ideas off of when it came to the supernatural, hell maybe they'd even get a chance to talk about more theories on what Jordan himself could possibly be. On the other hand, he knew that Ryan wasn't going to like the whole idea of him being alone with Lydia in the middle of the night while they watched over some other teenaged girl.

He wasn't interested in Lydia the same way he was interested in Ryan, was he? Of course not, Ryan was an amazing woman, and getting to know her and Kylie and be a part of their lives was something that he was constantly thankful for. That didn't mean that he didn't like Lydia as a friend and spending time with her was nice: she was smart, mature and she knew a lot of things about a lot of supernatural stuff.

When he finally gave in to Lydia in his head, a smile crossed over his lips and he shook his head.

"Medium Americano. Black." Jordan requested and left Lydia standing on the side of the road while he wandered around the back of his truck, heading for the other side.

Without hesitating for another second, he climbed into the truck, turned the vehicle on and pulled away from Tracy's house.

Looking into the rear view mirror and catching Lydia offering him a slight wave, he kept driving, wondering what could possibly go wrong at midnight?

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Thoughts? Do you think Ryan would be mad or upset to find out that Jordan was hanging out with Lydia after midnight?_**

 ** _Thank you everyone for the wonderful reviews, favourites and alerts!_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Not a fan! Ryan wouldn't be a big Lydia fan either, especially if she thinks she's weaseling in on her man!_**

 ** _sarahmichellegellarfan1: Thank you so much for the review, I appreciate your continued support!_**

 ** _Tiffany: Jordan is playing a dangerous game for sure, he's just lucky that Ryan doesn't have any magical powers that she could use on him! If that was the ultimatum, he'd totally pick Ryan and Kylie :) thank you so much for the fantastic review!_**


	48. Chapter 48

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 48:_**

If it hadn't been for the cookies and coffee that Jordan had dropped off at the hospital for her, then Ryan was certain that she would've conked out well before the end of her shift. She was still exhausted but knowing that she was minutes away from pulling into her dad's driveway to get Kylie was keeping her motivated. All she had to do was pick up her daughter, then a pizza, make it home and then she was welcome to crash, so long as Kylie was in bed.

She forced her eyes to stay open and when she finally pulled into the driveway, she let out a sigh of relief before throwing the car into park. Pulling the keys out of the ignition, she sucked in a breath, ran her one hand over her face and then quickly made her way out of the car, heading right for the front door.

Knocking on the door, if only to warn the people inside that she was here, she grabbed the handle and pushed it down, opening the door with ease. She figured that her father would've left the door open for her and she wasn't wrong. Without hesitating for another second, Ryan stepped inside and gently closed the door behind her, listening carefully in an attempt to pinpoint where her dad and her daughter were.

"Dad?" She called out and looked around the front hall before taking a few steps into the house further, turning the corner and poking her head into the living room.

She spotted the two people in question sitting on the couch, Kylie curled up in Ken's lap while he had a book open in front of them, reading the story that was written on the pages. Kylie's head lifted up at the sound of Ryan in the room and a grin took over her face. She waved at her mother frantically but motioned towards the book that Ken continued to read, without even skipping a beat.

"A few more pages." Kylie stated and Ryan sauntered into the room quietly so as not to disturb them.

She wandered around the front of the couch and gently sat down on the opposite side to her dad and daughter. Once she was sitting down, she relaxed against the back of the couch and nabbed one of the decorative pillows from nearby, hugging it against her chest as she sunk further into the cushions.

Ken continued to read and, true to Kylie's word, a few pages later, the story was over. He made a point of dramatically closing the thin, hard covered kid's book before setting it down on the vacant patch of couch beside them. Then Ken turned to look at Ryan, who had shut her eyes while she had been waiting.

Kylie made quick work of crawling away from her grandpa, across the couch and burrowing into Ryan's lap, making sure to put extra pressure against the pillow clutched against Ryan's stomach. Ryan loosened her hold on the pillow and let Kylie get closer to her, even going as far as to push the pillow off to the side, giving Kylie free range over her legs.

"How was work?" Ken questioned and crossed his arms over his chest, looking at his two girls and smiling. "Double shift, right?"

"Well sort of." Ryan answered and let out a sigh. "Short shifted. And it was okay, I'm so tired though."

"No." Kylie whined and tilted her head back, looking up at her mother. "You can't be tired."

"Sorry Ky-pie." Ryan chuckled at her daughter, whom she hadn't seen since she had dropped her off the night before. "I'll try to stay awake for pizza night, okay?"

"Pizza?" Kylie stared at her mother with wide eyes and Ken shook his head in amusement. "I like pizza."

"Good." Ryan nodded and gently wrapped her arms around Kylie, hugging her tight against her and basking in the feeling of her little girl in her hold. "Because that's what we're having for dinner."

"Yahoo!" Kylie threw up her hands and waved them around in excitement. She looked from Ryan to her grandpa and then back to Ryan. "What about Jordan? Where's he?"

Ken narrowed his eyes in on his daughter and Ryan scrunched her nose up in consideration. Jordan didn't always pick Kylie up, in fact, Ryan did most of the time, but there were a few times, and more so lately, where he had come with Ryan to get the little girl.

Today though, today she had seen Jordan at the hospital where he had informed her that he was heading out to meet up with Lydia Martin. While Ryan didn't exactly like him going off to meet Lydia, she wasn't going to say anything about that to Kylie, in fact, she was going to try to act like nothing was bothering her, even though deep down, it was.

Jordan, at least in her mind, was spending way too much one on one time with the girl and while she chalked most of it up to jealously, not that she'd admit that out loud, she also felt that even if she wasn't really jealous, the idea of him flirting and hanging out with a teenager, someone still in high school, was the littlest bit weird. Jordan and Lydia would be like her and Stiles, and that was just something that would never happen, so why was it going on with Jordan and Lydia to start with?

So the supernatural played a major role in the fact that her boyfriend went off to meet up with a teenager, that didn't mean that Ryan had to like it. Part of her hoped that someone would figure out what Jordan was sooner rather than later so that he could go back to life with her, and _only_ her, and ignore the likes of Lydia Martin.

"Jordan should be home soon, if he's not there already. He was at work too." Ryan answered and smiled at her little girl, hoping that Kylie didn't pick up on the concern in her tone. She wasn't sure what she was going to tell Kylie if Jordan wasn't at the house when they got there, or shortly thereafter, but she certainly wasn't going to tell her that he was busy with another female.

Kylie was still a little kid but that didn't mean she was an idiot, she picked up on things better than even Ryan figured. She was starting to pick up on Jordan's absences when he wasn't at work and although Ryan tried to keep her distracted, or explain to her what was going on as best as she could, she figured that it wouldn't be too much longer until Kylie started bringing it up to the very person in question: Jordan.

"When do I have to get a job?" Kylie asked and buried herself into Ryan's body further, tucking her head under Ryan's arm.

"Soon." Ryan smiled. "How about when you're six?"

"Really?" Kylie's eyes widened in surprise and Ryan shrugged overdramatically.

"If you want to, if you don't, I guess I could let you keep being a kid for a little longer." Ryan teased and even Ken let out a chuckle at the exchange between the two girls. "But only if you like playing all day and spending your evenings with me."

Kylie nodded furiously and Ken shifted on the couch, moving closer to the two of them. He hesitated when he was right next to them and when Ryan gave him a nod, he slipped his arm around Ryan`s shoulders and let her rest her head on his bicep. She let out a soft sigh of contentment, and even Kylie seemed to relax that extra little bit at her grandpa's presence next to her.

"Don't let her make you work until you're in high school, okay Ky-pie?" Ken murmured and Kylie nodded her head some more. "Good, and if you have any trouble with your mom, you come to me, got it?"

"Got it." Kylie beamed up at him and reached her hand out, resting her palm on Ken's wrist. "Love you grampy!"

"Oh kiddo, I love you too." Ken responded and even shot the little girl a smile. Ryan's lips turned upwards too and she ran her hand over Kylie's back, soothing her daughter with the simple motion. "Before I forget Ry, next weekend I'm heading out to Vegas to meet up with the guys."

"Next weekend? I thought that wasn't until like the middle of September?" Ryan looked up at him, a confused expression on her face.

"Next weekend _is_ the middle of September." Ken countered with a grimace. "Where have you been?"

"Well hang on, is it really September already?" She straightened up but didn't let her hold on Kylie falter. Ryan turned to face her father head on and Ken remained silent, waiting for Ryan to gather her thoughts together. "You're wrong, it can't be September already, can it?"

Ken merely smiled at her in response and Ryan shook her head. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to figure out where the time had gone. It couldn't possibly be September already, she was still in August in her head, in fact, she hadn't been anticipating the beginning of the next month at all.

"I'm afraid that it is, in fact, September." Ken remarked and Ryan set her sights on him, a perturbed look on her face instead of one of confusion.

"No, no that's wrong."

"Why is that wrong?" Kylie peered up at her mother and questioned her, Ken motioning for Ryan to answer the girl's question with a wave of his hand.

"Well, I mean…I'm regular, I've always _been_ regular and I get my periods at the end of the month." Ryan answered softly, her mind working a mile a minute as she tried to figure out what the hell had happened.

"And you haven't gotten your period yet?" Ken pressed, not afraid to ask the question since he had grown up with her. He had been the single dad for most of Ryan's life and girl issues were no stranger to him. "So maybe you're just a little late."

"A little? Dad, try like two weeks." Ryan grumbled and readjusted herself on the couch. She shifted Kylie too so that the little girl was more securely placed on her lap, then she ran her hand through Kylie's hair in order to keep her fingers occupied. "Two weeks."

"You're on birth control though." Ken stated and Ryan sucked in a breath, her mind reeling at the past few weeks, few months even.

"I, uh…" Ryan let her head fall backwards onto the couch and she let out a growl. "I missed a few pills a while ago when Kylie was sick."

"Very sick." Kylie murmured against her and Ryan leaned down, pressing a sweet little kiss against her daughter's head.

"How many is a few?" Ken questioned and tightened his grip on his own daughter.

"I don't know." Ryan groaned. "Enough I guess."

"So then this _is_ what I think this is?" Ken pressed, Ryan putting her lips together as she contemplated the reality of the situation.

She was definitely late getting her period, there was no denying that, but was there a reasonable explanation? As she had said to her dad, there were a few days, maybe even up to two weeks, where she had been so distracted by Kylie running a fever and then being sick to her stomach, that she had forgotten to take her pills, but was that the _only_ explanation?

Being pregnant wasn't something she wanted at this point in time and she wasn't exactly sure how Jordan would take the news that there was a possibility but what else was she supposed to believe?

In all actuality, it made sense. She had been extra tired lately and maybe it wasn't from being short shifted, maybe it was because she was currently pregnant, with Jordan Parrish's baby. Fighting off the urge to groan at her predicament, she locked eyes with her dad and forced an anxious smile onto her face.

"I think maybe it is. Dad, I'm pretty sure I'm pregnant." Ryan said in a low tone and glanced down to Kylie, who was still as relaxed as ever in her hold. The little girl didn't move a muscle and after a few seconds of silence, she assumed that Kylie hadn't really been paying attention.

Ken forced a smile onto his face and leaned his own head down to rest against the top of Ryan's. He simply kept his arm around her and held her as she processed the information.

"That deputy would make a great dad." Ken whispered, Ryan tipping her head back slightly but not looking at him. "He's already doing real good with Ky-pie."

"I know." Ryan let out a sigh of frustration. "I guess I just thought…I don't know, this wasn't supposed to happen."

"Well neither was Kylie and look how well that turned out." Ken smiled genuinely at his daughter and granddaughter. "Are you going to say anything to Jordan?"

Ryan shook her head slightly and sucked in a nervous breath, "maybe I should find out for sure first? Does that make sense?"

"If that's what you want to do, I'll support you either way." Ken replied.

"I could grab a test on the way home." Ryan said, thinking of her options out loud. "But god I'm so tired already and I still have to get pizza, plus I'd have Kylie with me."

"Why don't you go home, have dinner and then once you know that Jordan's got Kylie handled-"

"I could run out to the drugstore then?" Ryan finished for her dad and he gave her a nod of approval.

"Sounds like a plan to me." Ken offered with a slight chuckle. "You can call me any time, you know that, right?"

"I know."

"Even in the middle of the night." Ken pressed.

"I _know_. I just…I might need you to look after Kylie more in the next few days. Once I take a test, then I'll see if I can't get in to see one of the doctor's at the hospital right away." Ryan was speaking out loud but Ken could tell by the wistful look on her face that she was doing it more for her than for him. "I just need…I need a plan."

"I can call the guys and cancel-"

"No, no I couldn't let you do that. I can handle this." Ryan breathed the last few words out and Ken gave her arm a gentle pat with his hand.

"You can handle anything Ry-pie." Ken reassured her and Ryan held her breath for a few seconds. Kylie shifted the tiniest little bit against her but otherwise didn't move. Ryan felt herself relaxing against her father a bit more, enough that she didn't want to move just yet.

Whatever was going to happen once she left her dad's house was going to be chaos, for now, she was going to enjoy a few more minutes of peace.

With a potential baby on the way, she was going to need every second of it.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Jordan's vehicle was in the driveway when Ryan pulled in and even if she hadn't noticed it, Kylie's excited squeal, which had erupted when they had turned onto their street, would've been enough to wake the dead, let alone let her know that Jordan was home. When she had parked the car, she peered into the backseat and looked at the pizza first, making sure it hadn't flown off the seat, and then at Kylie, who was waving her hands in the air, trying to get free from her car seat.

Fighting back a smile, Ryan made quick work of getting out and moving around to the back, where she promptly freed Kylie from her restraints and set her down on the ground before grabbing hold of her hand so that she didn't take off. Once that was taken care of, Ryan shut the back door, walked around the back of the car and took the pizza into her possession, finally letting go of Kylie's hand at the same time that Jordan appeared in the front doorway wearing jeans and a clean t-shirt.

Kylie took off in a run towards him and Jordan stepped down to meet her, dropping into a squat just in time for her to wrap her arms around him and hug him tight. When he stood up, he brought Kylie with him and then proceeded to smile at Ryan, who was juggling the pizza, as well as her work bag while she moseyed on up to the front door.

"Still tired?" He asked in a soft tone and let her wander into the house in front of him. When she was safely inside the house, he followed her lead and shut the door behind him, throwing the bolt across to keep out any uninvited guests.

"Exhausted." Ryan answered and stepped out of her shoes, heading right for the kitchen with all of her other gear still on. "Are you in for the night?"

"Am I _in_ for the night?" Jordan repeated her words and looked down at Kylie, who merely shrugged at his confusion. "Do you mean-"

"I mean…do you have to go back into work or anything or are you home for the rest of the night." Ryan cut in, setting the pizza down on the kitchen table. She turned to face Jordan, who wandered into the room with Kylie against his hip, the little girl was clinging to him right back, content to be in the man's comforting hold.

"Well, I uh, I volunteered to watch the Stewart house for the night." Jordan answered and smiled as Kylie gently set her head against his shoulder, her tiny little fingers drumming lightly against his chest. "Off the books."

"Off the- so you're just going to keep your eye out just because you feel like it?" She scrunched up her nose and considered what he had just said.

If that was the case, if he was going to be heading out for the night on a voluntary mission, then what did that mean for her and Kylie? Her plan had been to see if Jordan wouldn't mind watching her daughter for an hour while she ran out and purchased a home pregnancy test but if Jordan was leaving, and depending on when that was supposed to happen, that meant that Ryan would have to change her plan.

She _could_ take Kylie with her to the drug store, but that opened up a whole other can of worms. Kylie would ask questions, to both her and Jordan, which meant that she might blow the entire thing up in Ryan's face. If she started asking Jordan about babies and all that fun stuff, then Jordan might get the wrong idea and until she knew for sure if she _was_ pregnant, then what was the point in letting any of that happen?

On the other hand, she could just wait, she could be patient and stop at the drugstore on her way to work, and then when she was on break, she could take it, or if she got there earlier enough- well the possibilities in that regard were endless. Plus if she was at work, she could toss it out and no one would know it was hers, it wouldn't get into the wrong hands, and maybe she'd even let Melissa in on her little secret. After all, this was a situation where having a female friend was nicer and who better than Melissa McCall?

"I told Lydia-"

"You _told_ Lydia?" Ryan growled back at him and let her work bag drop roughly to the floor. Peeling off her jacket, she rolled her eyes at Jordan and brushed by them, making her way back to the front door where she hung up her coat in the closet and stomped her way toward the stairs.

Jordan stepped out into the hallway and set Kylie down on the floor, but the little girl remained right by his side, grabbing his hand and clinging to him with everything she had. Ryan paused on the first step, turned around and faced him before letting out a frustrated huff.

"I know you don't exactly like me spending time with her but this is important. I wouldn't be doing it if it wasn't." Jordan stated, his tone bordering on pleading.

"I get that, I do, but," Ryan hesitated and let out a sigh, "it's fine. If you need to go do whatever it is you need to do, then fine."

"Come on Ry, it's not…some weird stuff happened today and I'd just…Tracy Stewart needs someone to watch out for her tonight." Jordan's voice softened and he watched as Ryan's body seemed to relax the tiniest bit.

"Is Lydia going to be there?" Ryan pressed and Jordan shied away from her piercing gaze, knowing that she wasn't going to like his answer. Before he could even open his mouth though, she let out a growl and threw her hands into the air, apparently knowing by his avoidance of her eyes. "She is, isn't she? You're going out to watch over some girl's house for the night and Lydia's going to be there with you?"

"I'm not-"

"She's a _teenager_ , does she not have a curfew or something? What the hell-heck is wrong with her mother and-"

"Mommy." Kylie broke in and took a step towards her mother.

Kylie hesitantly removed her hand from Jordan's and looked up at her mom, taking in the sight of her standing on the very first step with her arms crossed, a furious expression on her face and a glare directed right at Jordan. Without warning, Kylie turned around to face Jordan and unleashed a kick on his shin, Jordan taking a step back in surprise and looking down at the little girl with a confused expression on his face.

"What was that for?" Jordan quipped and Kylie backed up closer to her mother, turning her attention away from him only to see where Ryan's hand was so she could grab it.

"Kylie, we don't kick people." Ryan scolded her daughter but there was very little conviction in her tone. She was actually trying to bite back a smirk at the girl's actions but hey, in her eyes, maybe Jordan deserved a bit of a kick to the shin.

"He's not being very nice though." Kylie argued and looked between Ryan and Jordan. Jordan tilted his head to the side and studied the girl, wondering how bad he was going to let the conversation get before _he_ took action, instead of Kylie, who's attempt at 'taking action' was kicking him in the shin.

"Apologize." Ryan instructed and Jordan shook his head.

"I probably…it didn't really hurt." Jordan countered and Ryan looked down at Kylie.

"Kylie, apologize to Jordan."

Kylie scowled but turned her attention towards Jordan, "I'm sorry I kicked you."

"It's okay. I accept your apology." Jordan forced a smile onto his face and Kylie hesitantly let go of Ryan's hand.

"Should I kiss it better?" She asked and Jordan shrugged at her.

"Only if you want to."

Kylie stepped forward slowly and when she was within reach, she set her palms on either side of Jordan's knee, on the same leg that she had kicked seconds earlier, and then leaned forward and gave his shin a gentle kiss. When she pulled away from him, she tipped her head back and stared upwards, meeting his gaze and seeing his smile.

"Mommy?" Kylie turned her head and looked back at Ryan, who gave her a nod of approval for giving Jordan a kiss to make it better.

"Yeah Ky-pie?" It was obvious to anyone in the room that Ryan was trying to stay calm for her daughter's sake still, but Jordan knew better, she was beyond mad, and at this point in time, could he really blame her?

"Can we have pizza now?"

Ryan held her breath for a few seconds and then nodded her head yes. She stepped down off the stairs and offered her hand out for Kylie, who took it without a second of hesitation. Jordan held back though and didn't move until the two girls were in the kitchen, Kylie in her booster seat at the table and Ryan grabbing plates from the cupboard.

Without a word between them, Jordan joined Ryan at the cupboards and nabbed a couple glasses for drinks before moving to the fridge and filling Kylie's cup up with orange juice. He set it down on the table in front of her and smiled at her, but she didn't smile back, she just stared at him with her big, wide eyes, and he knew that he had to fix this, he had to make things right. There was no way he was going to leave letting Kylie think that he was abandoning them for Lydia.

"Ry, I don't want you to be mad." Jordan spoke up, breaking the silence that had fallen over them. Ryan set the plates out around the table and lowered herself down into the chair beside Kylie, then she opened the box and set a single slice on the girl's plate.

"If you don't want me to be mad then stop spending so much time with a teenaged girl, especially one that looks at you the way _she_ does." Ryan pointed out and grabbed a slice for herself. "Forgive me for wanting to spend time with you when you're not working."

Jordan shook his head but didn't respond, at least not right away. He sat down in the chair beside her and set his palm on her thigh, giving her a gentle, reassuring squeeze, which had the desired effect, yes, Ryan had turned her head and was looking right at him.

"I don't like this." Jordan murmured and leaned in closer to her, Ryan leaning in to him too. "I love you, you know that, and meeting up with Lydia isn't going to change how I feel about you."

"Okay." She squeaked and Kylie stared at the two of them, silently hoping for the fighting and arguing to stop. "I still don't like this."

"You've made that clear." He chuckled and she let go of her resentment and let her body move closer to his, her shoulder resting against his chest. Jordan moved his hand away from her thigh and snaked his arm around her back instead, holding her against him. "I'll try to get rid of her, if that'll make you feel better."

"It would." She retorted. "But I guess as long as nothing funny happens then it's fine. I know this is important to you."

"Thank you." Jordan said softly and Ryan reluctantly peeled herself away from him, looking over ay Kylie who had been staring at them. Kylie had a small smile on her face at this point in time and Ryan shook her head at her daughter's amusement.

"The pizza's getting cold." Kylie remarked and Jordan let out a hearty chuckle.

"A girl who has her priorities straight, I can appreciate that." Jordan teased.

"What's a primority?" Kylie shot back and Ryan snorted while Jordan simply grinned in response.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 **As many of you said in your review, Ryan certainly wasn't too happy about him and Lydia.  
**

 **Did you guys enjoy the latest installment? Did Jordan deserve the kick from Kylie?**

 **I'm still working away on the last few episodes of 5B and then I'll be posting more frequently!**

 **Thank you to the lovely readers who read, enjoyed, favourited, alerted and reviewed this story!**

 **DJDragon1: I'd say it didn't end very well at all haha, thank you and I hope you enjoyed the update!**

 **poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Thanks! I always love hearing from you and I appreciate your wonderful support!**

 **Tiffany: He certainly does play with fire, did you like the outcome of the situation? Thank you for the review!**

 **sarahmichellegellarfan1: Well thanks! I hope you liked what Ryan had to say to Jordan!**

 **A: No need to be sorry, I just hope that you're feeling better! Ryan trusts Jordan for sure and you're spot on, she's not too supportive of his friendship with Lydia, she definitely doesn't trust her. Thank you so much for the review!**


	49. Chapter 49

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 49:_**

There wasn't anything more that Jordan could've said to get Ryan to relax when he had left the house once it was dark outside. He had helped her tuck Kylie in for the night, he had promised her that he'd be on his best behaviour and he had vowed to be home as soon as the sun was starting to come up, assuming everything went okay to start with.

Ryan hadn't seemed much better with the idea of him going out late at night to watch over someone's house but she hadn't been _quite_ as mad as she had been prior to their pizza dinner. At least it was an improvement, and on top of that, Kylie hadn't kicked him anymore. So he had left the house, giving Ryan a kiss and a murmured 'I love you' in an attempt to soothe any worries that she might have about him and Lydia Martin.

When he had pulled over on to the side of the road in front of Tracy Stewart's house, he wasn't sure what he was expecting. There had been too many dead bird's littering her roof for him to rest easy, but did that mean that he'd be seeing more strange things, more crazy birds trying to get into the girl's house before mysteriously dropping dead on the shingles? Jordan didn't know what he was expecting at all but a nice, quiet atmosphere where nothing seemed to be awry, that certainly wasn't it.

Something weird was going on here and he wasn't going to drive away without some sort of clue. Leaving Tracy without someone to watch over her for the night, especially with the things that he had seen inside her house earlier in the day, wasn't an option. This was his job, as a deputy, as the man that he was, he wasn't going to let strange things happen if he had anything to say about it.

The dinging noise of his phone had surprised him and while he wasn't expecting anyone to be contacting him, he was even more surprised to find that it _wasn't_ Ryan, no, it was Lydia. He had figured that Ryan would've at least checked in with him by this point but that wasn't at all what was happening, no, Lydia had texted him and informed him that she'd 'be there at midnight with Americano, black', and Jordan couldn't help the tiniest hint of a smile playing on his lips.

He peeled his eyes off the phone and looked back out the front windshield at the road, the streetlights barely providing enough illumination for him to see much at all, but it was just enough. As he reached across the seat and set the phone back down, he latched on to his binoculars, turned to his open window and looked out at Tracy Stewart's house, where nothing seemed to be running amuck at all.

It wasn't for another few minutes of silence when his phone chimed again, this time Jordan was quick to pluck it off the seat, wondering what Lydia had to say to him. When he looked at the sender of the text though, he found his heart picking up at the sight of Ryan's name.

What the hell? He had been expecting Lydia and the thought of another text message from the teenager in question had him slightly excited, now that he was looking at Ryan's name on his screen, he found himself slightly more nervous than he had been seconds ago.

Did she know something that he didn't? Did she realize how much she hated the idea of him going off to spend the night on an 'off the record' project and was just now texting him to tell him just that?

' _Need to talk to you sometime tomorrow'_

He furrowed his eyebrows at her typed words and shook his head in disbelief. Nothing good ever happened after words like that, words that demanded they needed to talk, but he had thought they had settled everything before he had left. Had Ryan changed her mind? Had she suddenly realized that she _really_ didn't like the idea of Jordan helping out the one and only Lydia Martin?

He had told her that she didn't have to worry, that he loved her and only her, but Ryan had been the one who had stated that 'they needed to talk', which meant something bad in Jordan's mind. Was she going to end things? Was she going to give him an ultimatum of her or Lydia? And if that _was_ the ultimatum she chose to give him, what would his answer be?

On one hand he knew that he'd pick Ryan, without a doubt, except the more he thought about it, the more he considered what that really meant. If he gave up spending time with Lydia, then that meant he forfeited a decent ally when it came to the supernatural and more importantly, things he didn't know or understand _about_ the supernatural.

Could he really give up all contact with Lydia, if Ryan dared to make him choose?

Jordan shut his eyes and sucked in a breath, trying to figure out how to calm himself down enough so that he'd be able to focus on the task at hand. He'd be outside of Tracy's house for the rest of the night and then he'd try and head back to the house in time to talk to her before _she_ had to go into work. Until then, he'd just pray that she wasn't going to do anything drastic, like make him choose between her and Lydia.

He typed out a quick response: _'Everything okay?'_ , and then he set his phone back on the passenger seat. Waiting for a response, Jordan found himself more anxious than he had been since he had met the woman in question.

After a little while of silence, he started to think about the bigger picture. Lydia, while intelligent, helpful and generous, wasn't someone that he could look at for a long term relationship but Ryan, Ryan definitely was. She was gorgeous, she was amazing and she loved him, he loved her too, plus there was Kylie involved in the equation as well.

Kylie, who, when she wasn't kicking him in the shins, was absolutely wonderful to be around. Kylie, the little girl that had always adored him, from the very beginning she had been nothing but nice to him, and aside from her recent shin attack, which he was starting think maybe he did deserve just a little bit, she had always had fun around him. So, maybe if it did come down to a choice between Ryan and Lydia, which was more for the supernatural aspect than anything, it wouldn't be so hard after all.

Ryan was it for him, it was that simple. Yet part of him still hoped that she didn't give him that ultimatum.

After a little longer sitting in his truck in silence, Jordan lifted his arms up and stretched out his arms, feeling the sweet relief of his muscles moving. No one had bothered to text him, not Ryan _or_ Lydia, which was fine by him. He didn't want to know if there was something wrong with Ryan, he didn't want to get into anything that would break his focus away from watching over Tracy's house, but at the same time, he wanted to know that she was doing okay since he had left the house.

He looked out at the house one more time and gripped the handle of his door, popping it open and quickly stepping out onto the pavement. He shut his door as quietly as possible and then leaned against the side of it, just in time to watch Lydia approach him with a cup of coffee in either hand.

She smiled at him and when she was close enough, she offered him one of the cups, Jordan taking it with an appreciative smile. She leaned against the side of the truck next to him and looked over at the house across the street. Jordan followed her gaze and did a quick once over of the dwelling before lifting the coffee up and taking a small sip, feeling the hot liquid move down his throat, warming his body slightly.

"Thanks." He quipped and she bowed her head before looking back up at him, her eyes meeting his.

"It's really no problem." Lydia replied and he gave her a nod of understanding.

"You'll be happy to know that there hasn't been anything weird that I've seen since I got here." Jordan stated, getting right to the point. Maybe if he could keep their midnight meeting on track, and in the professional level of conversation, then maybe he'd be able to go back to Ryan feeling confident that she had nothing to be jealous of.

Except, he was starting to realize that maybe there _was_ something for her to be jealous about.

He was the one out late at night with a teenager, he was the one who had left her and Kylie at home to help out a girl that was barely legal, and for what?

Sure he had said that it was to protect Tracy and keep her safe, but surely he could've requested another deputy to watch over the house so that he could've spent his night curled up next to Ryan in their bed, right?

So why was he currently standing in the middle of the street, leaning against his truck, next to Lydia Martin, who looked up at him with a look in her eyes that made him feel nervous.

"So you haven't seen anyone trying to get in, like she claimed was happening last night?" Lydia questioned, an almost hopeful look in her eye. Was Tracy even in any danger at all?

The more Jordan sat outside the girl's house, the more he was starting to wonder if maybe it wasn't anything to worry about. Tracy Stewart apparently suffered from night terrors and while it was possible that she had dreamed the horrific scenes she claimed to have witnessed, Jordan knew that something had to have happened to the dead birds on her roof, but could it have been a natural cause of death?

"As far as I can tell, no one's gone in and no one's come out." Jordan answered and looked sideways at Lydia, taking in the sight of her standing next to him. He jerked his attention back to the house and kept his eyes trained on the front door, hoping that the rest of his night was as uneventful as the first part had been.

She hesitated and turned her own attention back to the Stewart house, "sorry I wasted your time."

Jordan fought off the urge to smile at her and instead turned to look at her one more time. He took in the sight of her standing next to him, a saddened expression on her face, a look in her eyes that was fierce enough for him to realize that she genuinely cared about Tracy Stewart. Well if Lydia cared about Tracy Stewart, then Jordan did too and he wasn't going to let anything happen to her, at least as far as he could control.

"Not a total waste." Jordan countered and flashed a grin at Lydia, who smiled back at him in response. "I'm just glad Tracy's okay."

Without another word shared between them, Jordan continued to watch over the Stewart house, occasionally stealing glances at the young, strawberry blonde standing next to him.

With the lingering threat of him and Ryan 'needing to talk', he held out hope that maybe, just maybe, the sun would never come.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

It wasn't like she had intended for her text to sound so ominous but what other words could she have used aside from 'need to talk to you sometime tomorrow'. Well, okay, she could've mentioned _why_ she needed to talk to him of course, but was it really worth hinting that she was pregnant without knowing for sure?

Maybe telling him that outright wasn't such a bad idea but part of her wanted to find out before announcing something as drastic as a growing baby. Ryan wasn't stupid, she wasn't trying to hide it, or deny it, she just wanted proof, she wanted to take a pregnancy test, she wanted to see the result, and _then_ she'd go to Jordan. Until that happened though, she wasn't going to say a word to anyone else, aside from her and her dad, that was all who that needed to know there was a possibility of another baby for the time being.

After she had sent the text though, her heart hadn't stopped hammering from nerves, nor had she been able to calm herself down enough to get to sleep. Since she wasn't aware of the side effects of her sleeping pills on an unborn baby, she had decided that she'd ignore that as a possibility, and instead she had spent the night tossing and turning, waiting for Jordan to come home.

When her alarm had finally sounded just before the sun came up, she had tried her best to stretch out her body and get her butt in gear, but she was still exhausted, still very, very tired from her short shift _and_ on top of that, she hadn't slept at all during the night. She knew one thing, she'd be glad when she finally had a test to take and then she'd cross the bridge of telling Jordan when she was certain there was even a baby.

By the time Ryan had managed to get Kylie ready to drop off at the sitter's and then gotten herself ready for work, Jordan still wasn't home, and Ryan was finding it harder and harder to contain her emotions. She was scared, she was anxious and she knew that she'd feel better if she just saw him, even if it was just for a second.

When it came time for her to leave the house, she shook her head in disappointment, gathered up her and Kylie's stuff and headed out the door.

Kylie had been unusually quiet all morning and when she dropped her daughter off at the babysitter's, Ryan let out a sigh of relief. As hard as it was for her to be going through the emotions she was going through, she knew that since Kylie was officially dropped off, she could actually get down to business. There was enough time for Ryan to stop at the drug store on her way into work, which is precisely the way she had planned it, and once she got there, she was hoping that she still had just enough time to actually take the test.

The process wasn't new to her, she had gone through the same thing years ago with Kylie, but it had been a while and Ryan hadn't exactly remembered the weird look that the cashier at the store gave her, then again, she had been way more freaked out the first time. At least at this point in her life, she wasn't just barely out of her teens, she had a job too, and a relatively stable life. No, this pregnancy, if it was real, wouldn't be as nerve-wracking as the first one had been.

Melissa had met her in the parking lot of the hospital and Ryan had gathered up her stuff from the backseat, juggling her work bag, her purse, and the small plastic bag from the drug store, as she closed in on her friend. Melissa tossed Ryan a smile and fell in stride next to her, looking over the things that she was carrying in her hands.

"Good morning." Melissa chirped and Ryan fought off the urge to sigh. No, no it had not been a good morning, it hadn't even been a good evening, and the sooner Ryan found out if she was actually pregnant, the better she'd feel…or maybe she'd feel worse, because then she'd have to figure out a way to break it to Jordan.

While he had brought up the prospect of having children months ago, she wasn't sure if his opinions had changed. He was great with Kylie but a baby, well that was a totally different story and Ryan, as much as she was starting to like the idea, wasn't as prepared as she would've liked to have been.

"I've been…god, this morning was a total write off." Ryan replied and fumbled with her bags, readjusting them on her arms so that they weren't slipping off. "I'm still exhausted and-"

"Still? From the short shifting?" Melissa cut in and Ryan nodded her head yes.

"Plus I didn't sleep all that well last night either."

"How come? Deputy McSexy keeping you up late again?" Melissa teased and Ryan let out a groan at her words. Melissa lifted a hand up in a gesture of surrender and Ryan dropped her gaze to her feet as the two of them made their way to the doorway.

"He wasn't even home." Ryan answered, reaching out to grab the handle and pulling the door open for her and Melissa. Once the two women were inside, she let go and marched alongside Melissa. "He was out all night doing Lydia a favour."

"Oh." Melissa furrowed her eye brows and took the lead, letting Ryan fall in behind her as they headed down the hallway towards the lounge. "That sounds…"

"Sketchy?" Ryan filled in the blank and Melissa nodded her agreement. The two of them stopped in front of the door to the lounge and this time Melissa opened it, ushering Ryan inside before following her, both of them taking a seat on the couch. "Yeah it was supernatural related, at least that's what he claimed."

"Right." Melissa gave another nod of her head and leaned back against the couch, Ryan setting her bags on the floor but keeping the plastic one with her test in it in her hand. "So how come you didn't sleep well last night then?"

"Worrying about him for starters." Ryan shook her head in frustration and forced herself not to think about the possibilities of what happened between Jordan and Lydia last night. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Of course."

Ryan squeezed her eyes shut and sucked in a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds before blowing it out. She opened her eyes back up and unwrapped the plastic bag from around her pregnancy test before presenting it to Melissa. Melissa hesitated but took hold of the box, looking at it and then looking at Ryan.

"My plan was to go out last night and pick that up but since Jordan had to take off to help dear little Lydia, I stopped on my way in today." Ryan explained and watched as Melissa ran her fingers over the edges of the box. Melissa looked away from Ryan and handed the box back to her, letting out a low whistle in the process.

"You think you're pregnant? Really?"

"I'm late, by a few weeks, and if you think about it, it'd definitely explain a few things." Ryan stated in a low voice, taking hold of the test box and setting it down on the couch cushion between them. "I haven't said anything to Jordan yet, I figured I better find out for sure before I go raising alarms, right?"

"Take it now." Melissa suggested and glanced back to the door to the lounge. "We've got a few minutes until we have to clock in, why not? Unless you don't want me here, then I'll go find something else to do."

"Do you mind waiting with me?" Ryan questioned and stood up from the couch.

She made quick work of putting her bags away and then she peeled off her coat, hanging it up on the rack with the rest of them. Before she had a chance to do anything more though, Melissa stepped in front of her and offered the pregnancy test box to her, only this time the end was opened, ready for Ryan to actually take it.

"I'd be happy to wait." Melissa smiled.

Ryan took hold of the box, fishing the test stick out and then heading for the door to the hallway. She looked back at Melissa, sucked in a breath and surged forward, stepping into the hall and walking right for the bathroom.

Melissa let out another low whistle and dropped down to sit on the couch again. She relaxed into the cushions and let her gaze wander around the room, thinking about the things that were potentially about to change for her younger friend. In her head though, Ryan would be okay, she had a stable relationship with a decent guy and even if they didn't last, she didn't figured Deputy Parrish was the type of guy to just abandon his own child, not like her own husband of course.

Then again, Melissa knew how terrifying the idea of motherhood was and having another kid to look after- well she was certainly glad sometimes that Scott was her only child. Letting out a soft sigh, Melissa waited patiently and a few minutes of silence later, Ryan wandered back into the lounge with the test stick in her hand.

Looking up at Ryan with a hopeful expression, she merely waited for her friend to tell her the news. Ryan shook her head and handed the test stick to her, letting Melissa take it to look for herself.

"It's not- there's still a few minutes before we know." Ryan murmured and gently lowered herself down to sit on the couch next to Melissa. "I uh, I don't really know what I'm hoping for."

"That's okay." Melissa offered with a nonchalant shrug. "It's not like you were planning on getting pregnant, right?"

"No." Ryan shied away from her gaze. "I forgot to take a few of my pills when Kylie was really sick. The idea of having more kids wasn't something that I really even considered so needless to say, this is kind of scary."

Melissa didn't say anything in response, instead she figured it was best if Ryan just had a moment to process what was going on around her. The two of them remained silent, Ryan looked up at the clock every few seconds while Melissa fidgeted with the test in her hands.

"What are you going to do if you are?" Melissa asked in a low tone.

"What do you mean?"

"Like, would you go through with it?"

"Yeah." Ryan answered without skipping a beat. "Of course."

"Okay." Melissa nodded and stole one last look at the clock for herself before offering the test up to Ryan.

"Here goes nothing." Ryan muttered.

Ryan held her breath and took the stick out of Melissa's hold. She forced a smile at her co-worker and Melissa smiled right back, hoping that Ryan got the result she wanted. Flipping the test stick over in her hands, Ryan looked at the tiny little screen and let her breath out slowly.

"What's it say?" Melissa asked and leaned forward, trying to get a better look at the test.

"It says positive." Ryan answered in a whisper. "It says I'm pregnant."

"That's good though, right?" Melissa pressed, even going as far as to rest a reassuring hand on Ryan's knee.

"It's not bad." Ryan responded and ran her one hand through her hair anxiously. "I don't know what I was expecting."

"You're not upset though, are you?"

"I don't think so." Ryan shook her head. "I think I'm okay with this."

Melissa gave her knee a gentle pat and Ryan glanced up at the clock. Her shift was going to be starting in just a couple of minutes and she still had to change her shoes and get her stuff together, as did Melissa. Before she could make a move though, Melissa reached forward and wrapped her arms around Ryan, giving the girl a motherly hug.

"We can talk to the doctor here, if you want, maybe she can fit you in sometime in the next few days?" Melissa remarked and pulled away from Ryan.

"Yeah. I know a few girls on the floor who owe me, maybe they'll trade shifts with me so I can make an appointment for during the day." Ryan added.

"Does that mean you're going to tell Jordan?" Melissa prodded, Ryan bit back a gasp.

"Maybe…maybe I'll talk to him after I see a doctor." Ryan said softly, Melissa smiling at her in an attempt to be supportive.

"Whatever you think is best Ry. I'll be right here for you no matter what."

Ryan nodded her head and reluctantly peeled herself away from Melissa. The two of them rose up to their feet and busied themselves with getting ready for work. Ryan stole a glance at her female friend when she knew she wasn't looking and she felt her body flood with relief.

No matter what, Melissa had said she'd be right there for her, and really, that was all that Ryan needed at that very moment.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 **What a shock! Are you guys happy that she's pregnant?**

 **Once again, a huge thank you goes out to anyone that has read this story, I cannot say in words how much I appreciate each and every one of you!**

 **A: Ryan's not a fool, she sees how Lydia looks at him haha. Surprise realization has been confirmed, oh, the supernatural side of Jordan will play a relatively important part in how Ryan feels about being pregnant.**

 **poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Ha, good, I didn't want Kylie to come off too bratty.**

 **sarahmichellegellarfan1: There you have it! Thoughts on Ryan and her pregnancy?**

 **Tiffany: Thank you so much, and I love hearing parts that make people laugh. Oh yes, you certainly have an answer now. What do you think about them expanding their family?**


	50. Chapter 50

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 50:_**

"I got everything worked out so that I'm off the day after tomorrow but I'm working tomorrow night." Ryan announced later on during her shift.

Melissa was standing at the front desk getting ready to take the next patient file on the pile. She threw a smile at Ryan and reached out, setting her palm on her forearm in a gesture of comfort as Ryan came to stand next to her. The two of them had managed to talk to the doctor that Ryan would be seeing during her day off and even though it hadn't been all that hard to talk to the other nurses on shift to see if anyone could swap with Ryan, it didn't mean she didn't appreciate the effort.

"And Doctor Hathcock said she'd be able to see you then?" Melissa questioned in response. She knew how busy the female obstetrician could be, but working at the hospital did tend to have a few perks and Ryan was definitely one of the more likeable nurses around, which meant other people were more likely to do her favours, plus the girl was hard working, Melissa wasn't aware of a single instance when Ryan had ever said no to one of the doctors on staff.

"She did, even said she'd try to squeeze me into the ultrasound order that day if I needed." Ryan answered and let out a small sigh of relief. So far her shift had been relatively calm and she wasn't anticipating it getting much busier, but that didn't mean that something wouldn't come up.

It was a hospital emergency department after all, it didn't take much to throw everyone for a loop.

Ryan moved forward, closing the gap between her and Melissa, before letting the older nurse take her into another embrace. She was growing rather fond of Melissa's hugs and she just hoped that there would never come a day when Melissa McCall wasn't there for her.

"Maybe I'll see if I can't switch with someone too, that way we'll both be working tomorrow night." Melissa teased and Ryan smiled in response. She peeled herself away and glanced around the hallway, looking out to make sure there weren't any prying ears, or eyes, around.

"You joke about that but that sounds like a great idea to me." Ryan chuckled and Melissa shook her head in amusement. "Seriously though, thanks for your help."

"I didn't really do anything." Melissa waved Ryan off but continued to smile at her.

"Still." Ryan quipped and nabbed the file off the top of the pile. She flipped the cover open and read over the first page, looking for what she was getting in to. Melissa grabbed the next file and did the same thing as Ryan, only she closed her file up after a few seconds, hugged it against her chest and grinned at Ryan.

Ryan caught the woman's look, which made her slightly uneasy, and scrunched her nose up at her friend. Melissa lifted her one hand up in surrender and pushed herself away from the desk. Before she could get away though, Ryan reached out and gently grabbed the woman's wrist, keeping her in her place in front of her.

"We should do dinner or something sometime." Ryan offered, Melissa nodding her agreement. "Maybe you can come over some night, I can make something, you can even bring Scott?"

"That doesn't sound so bad." Melissa joked. "Will the fine young deputy be there?"

Ryan snorted at her friend and let her hand fall away, dangling at her side instead. She looked her friend up and down and shrugged her shoulders, "maybe, he might be too busy helping out Lydia."

"I'm sure that's not true." Melissa gasped but quickly smirked at Ryan.

"Maybe, maybe not. I could see if he'd maybe invite the sheriff too, if that's-"

"I see what you're doing here." Melissa cut her off with an accusatory look. "I don't need your help finding a man."

"Well obviously, you've already found him, you just need a shove in the right direction." Ryan laughed and Melissa couldn't help but laugh along with her. "Seriously though, what _is_ going on between you two?"

"What do you- you don't just get to change the subject, especially when you're the one who's pregnant." Melissa whisper hissed and Ryan gaped at her. "I mean, it wasn't like I imagined you being abstinent but this just confirms that you and Deputy McSexy are getting it on."

Ryan just continued to stare at Melissa, not entirely sure as to how to respond. When Melissa broke out into a wicked grin though, Ryan couldn't help but roll her eyes. It was nice to laugh a little with Melissa, especially when she knew things weren't going to be as easy as they were at that very minute.

She _was_ pregnant, she was going to have a baby, and she still hadn't told Jordan, the very father of said baby. She also wasn't sure that Kylie was all that aware of her current situation. Sure Kylie had been in the room when she had made the connection, and Ken knew, which meant that if Kylie asked, he wasn't going to lie to her, but how much of the conversation had Kylie understood.

"Hey, Ry?" Melissa lifted her hand up further and waved it in front of Ryan's eyes. Ryan had a blank look on her face and when she finally spotted the movement in front of her face, she jerked slightly and brought her attention back to Melissa. "You went off to space there, what's wrong?"

Sucking in a nervous breath, Ryan leaned her head back and looked up at the ceiling. She focused her energy on breathing, take air in, let air out, and when she felt that she wasn't quite as shaken up as she had been seconds before, she tipped her head forward and locked her eyes on Melissa.

"I have to tell Kylie." Ryan breathed the words out and Melissa narrowed her eyes in on Ryan. "I have to tell my little girl that she's going to have a baby brother or sister."

"Well that doesn't sound so bad." Melissa remarked. "I always thought Kylie would make a decent big sister."

"Well that makes one of us." Ryan muttered and let out a frustrated sigh.

"Ry, what's wrong, really? You can tell me." Melissa urged, sensing Ryan's discomfort on the matter.

"I don't know, I guess, I just- part of me figured that it'd just be me and her, you know?"

"For like the rest of your life?" Melissa asked in a hushed voice. "Is that what you mean?"

"I…it sounds stupid when I say it out loud." Ryan groaned and set the file in her hands back on the desk. Melissa set her hand on top of it, forcing it against the surface and making Ryan know for sure that this conversation wasn't going to end with her just walking away. Whatever was bothering her was going to be talked about, Melissa was going to make sure of that.

"I don't think it sounds stupid." Melissa whispered and looked down at her own feet. "For a while I think I felt the same way, I just pictured it being me and Scott and no one else."

"Yeah?" Ryan perked up slightly.

"Yes. It's a nice mental picture, I'll give you that, but I don't think it's very realistic. Sure you'd be fine on your own, just the two of you, but you're an amazing woman, Kylie's a great kid, I think Jordan's good for you." Melissa explained.

Ryan took her words to heart and stayed silent for a few seconds. It was definitely a nice thought and while there was nothing Ryan would've liked more than to spend all the time in the world with just Kylie, she knew that Melissa had a point. Jordan was good for her, he was good for Kylie; he had helped Ryan get back into her bedroom when she had thought that she'd be spending the rest of her nights sleeping on the couch. He had put Cole back into Kylie's life when she had tried her hardest to get rid of him completely and there was no doubt in her mind that Jordan was a good parental figure for her little girl.

The idea of having another baby still scared her, it always would, but she knew that with Jordan in her life, things wouldn't be so bad. Hell, they'd make cute kids and Kylie would be a great big sister, maybe this whole pregnancy was a good thing and whether or not it was planned didn't change anything.

They'd be a cute family, a strong family, and the four of them: Jordan, Ryan, Kylie and the baby, they'd be there for each other.

"You should learn to start accepting that you're not going to spend the rest of your life mourning Cole alone." Melissa pointed out, bringing Ryan's attention back to her. "I think Cole would approve, of everything."

Ryan bowed her head and tried not to cry at the thought of Cole. Everything Melissa had said was right and if Cole had still been alive, who was to say that they wouldn't have already had another kid. Cole had always been great with Kylie, he had adored her, fawned over her, loved her until his last breath like any father should, and maybe in a different life they would've been able to grow old together and have more kids together but they weren't in a different life, Cole was gone and Ryan had managed to find herself in love with Jordan Parrish.

"Yeah." Ryan let out an anxious breath and took her bottom lip in between her teeth. "You're absolutely right."

"You deserve to be happy and anyone can see how you light up around that deputy." Melissa teased, Ryan felt her cheeks growing hot in embarrassment.

She knew that Jordan always seemed to make her smile, for the most part anyways, and up until recently, when he had begun hanging out with Lydia Martin alone, she had felt like maybe her life was on the track that it was meant to be on. Sure she was jealous of Lydia and the time that she got to spend with Jordan, but she was also grateful.

Ryan knew what kinds of guys were out there, she had dealt with Haigh and his creepy, unwanted advances first hand, and while she was currently a little upset with the choices that Jordan had made, she wasn't going to let him get away. She was going to fight for him, she was going to keep him and this baby, _their_ baby, would be a good thing.

"I _do_ love him." Ryan offered up with a small smile.

"He's easy on the eyes too, so that's a plus." Melissa pointed out.

"You should see what he's got going on under his clothes." Ryan chuckled.

"I think I would pay money for that." Melissa snickered in response. "You're a good person, a wonderful mother and I'm sure that no matter what happens, Jordan will be there. He'd make a great dad."

"Yeah." Ryan nodded. "He already does make a great dad."

"I know."

Ryan shook her head with a smile and tried to get her head back into her work. As much as she would've loved to stand around and chat with Melissa about her life, she knew that she did have work to do and the sooner she got to it, the faster time would pass, which meant that she'd be able to go home, after picking up her daughter of course.

"So that was a no on me inviting the sheriff to dinner then?" Ryan joked and Melissa rolled her eyes at Ryan.

"Maybe you should just worry about your own love life and don't bother concerning yourself with my nonexistent one."

Ryan let out another laugh at Melissa's words and before either of them could say anything else, she nabbed her patient file and turned her back to Melissa. Melissa reached out and gave Ryan a gentle shove forward, sending her off down the hallway to her awaiting patient.

Maybe things weren't looking so bad after all.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

It had worked out rather well that Jordan was heading back into work in order to help out the sheriff with a transport, he had gotten to head home a little early from his day shift in order to have a shower and get some dinner in him, but it had also given him the opportunity to play the parental role.

As soon as he had found out that he'd be getting off before Ryan, he had called her up at work and asked her if it'd be okay if he picked up Kylie that day, when she had told him that he'd be doing her a huge favour, he hadn't been able to hold back the smile, which was so big and full of excitement that a few of the other deputies around him had given him funny looks. He didn't care though, this was definitely something he was looking forward to and when he finally pulled into the driveway belonging to Kylie's babysitter, it had taken most of his will power not to run to the front door.

When Kylie had seen that it was him who was picking her up, and not her mother as expected, she had squealed with such delight that Jordan couldn't contain his own excitement. Kylie absolutely adored him, and aside from the night before when she had kicked him in the shin, the two of them had done rather well together. So when she ran right for him and leapt into his arms, he couldn't help but feel that things were maybe going back to normal, well, as normal as they could be considering he was some sort of supernatural creature.

By the time he had gotten the little girl back to the house, she had settled down a little bit and part of him wanted to talk to her about the shin kicking incident from the night before, but another part of him wondered if maybe he deserved it.

Ryan had scolded her, but that wasn't what he wanted to do, no, he was more interested in finding out the real reason behind her motives. Had Kylie picked up on Ryan's uneasiness, was she more aware of the tension between them than he had originally believed? Asking her would be the easiest solution but then again, Kylie wasn't his child, she was Ryan's and maybe he wasn't going to cross the line into _that_ type of parental territory.

Jordan had relaxed into the couch, Kylie climbing up beside him and curling into his side, once he was inside the house. She looked up at him with wide eyes and a small smile on her face and Jordan knew at that very second that he wasn't going to bring up the kick, he wasn't going to hold it against the girl, after all, she had already lost her father and Jordan couldn't begin to imagine the sort of toll that would take on a toddler.

"When's mommy going to be home?" Kylie asked in a hushed tone and let out a bored sounding sigh. Jordan lifted his arm out to the side and slipped it around her shoulders, feeling her curl even closer to him as he did so. He glanced down at her and forced a smile, hoping that he could entertain her while they waited for Ryan to arrive home.

"Soon, you know she might have been really busy at work today though, so she might've had to stay late." Jordan explained and Kylie furrowed her eyebrows.

"Like you do?" She asked and stared at him.

"I uh-"

"With Lydia?" Kylie cut him off. "Is she a deputy too?"

He sucked in a breath and tried to figure out the situation in his head before he spoke out loud. Apparently Kylie was way more observant than he had realized and if she could see that he was spending all this time with Lydia, then maybe Ryan had every right to be a little jealous. But what other choice did he have, it wasn't like the other deputies could handle the supernatural, they didn't even know that things like him, or werewolves, really existed and if they did, they didn't say anything about it.

It wasn't like he could just recruit a partner to help him either, he had a hard enough time believing the weird things that were happening, and then when Ryan was introduced to the reality of the supernatural existing in Beacon Hills, well, it could've gone a lot smoother. He couldn't even begin to imagine how other people might react if they ever found out, things that people didn't understand had a tendency to make them act irrationally.

"Lydia's just a friend, I'm helping her out and she's helping me out."

"Helping you out with what?" Kylie pressed and Jordan glanced towards the front hallway, prying that Ryan would wander through the door at that very moment. This wasn't how he wanted things to be with Kylie, he wanted to be the fun guy, the guy who knew how to handle her and make her smile, but this, the questions, it wasn't what he was expecting.

"Why don't we talk about you?" Jordan tried to change the subject and Kylie shook her head. "You can tell me all about your day, who did you get to play with?"

"I played blocks with Mikey." Kylie answered with a nonchalant shrug. She shifted against the couch and made her way into a standing position on the cushion next to him before leaning against his shoulder. He turned his head to the side and came face to face with her, their noses only a couple of inches apart. "Are you going to leave tonight too?"

"I'm not…I have to go back to work in a little while." Jordan replied and moved his arm down to around her waist, holding her steady on the couch cushions so that she didn't tumble to the floor.

"To see Lydia?" Kylie leaned in slightly, the tip of her nose pressing against his.

"Kylie-"

"Mommy misses you." Kylie cut him off yet again and Jordan let out a sigh while leaning his head back, putting a bit of space between their faces. "She gets sad when you leave."

"How can you tell?" Jordan questioned and she let out a huff before dropping her butt down onto his lap. Kylie lifted her hands up and roughly drummed her fists against his chest, her tiny little index finger running over the nametag on his deputy's shirt.

"She doesn't smile as much." Kylie murmured, Jordan's arms circling around her and hugging her against his chest. "Like when daddy was stolen."

"Stolen?" Jordan cocked his head to the side. "You think your dad was stolen?"

"I miss him sometimes." She ignored his question and let out a sigh, resting her head against his shoulder. "You're a good dad too though."

Jordan sucked in a breath and simply held her, hoping that the words would come to him so that he didn't have to sit in silence with Kylie. For the moment though, he had no idea how to respond to her. He was elated that she thought that he was a good dad but he was also saddened by the thought that she would even have to recognize that her real father was gone.

Cole had never been spoken ill of in all of the time that he had known Ryan and he knew that he had tough shoes to fill but having Kylie state that he was a good dad, well that just made him feel like maybe he was doing something right with her and Ryan after all. He never wanted them to feel like he was replacing Cole but it always seemed like they were a perfect fit. Him and Ryan were a good couple, when they weren't arguing over Lydia Martin, and Kylie had adored him from day one.

He was thankful that he had them in his life and no matter what, he was going to look out for them, he was going to protect them and keep them safe, even if that meant that he'd have to keep them safe from him.

Which brought back all of the fear and the worry over why he was really meeting up with Lydia here and there: she had knowledge, she was more aware of supernatural creatures than he was and every time he saw her, he hoped and prayed that she had some sort of lead as to what he was. The idea of not being completely human had him on edge sometimes and until he knew for sure what sort of supernatural being he was, he wasn't going to be able to rest easy.

Jordan made a move to open his mouth but before he could say anything, the front door opened, the sound of it swinging open and hitting the doorstop echoed in the quiet house. Kylie froze on his lap and twisted her body before quickly climbing to the floor. As soon as her feet were on solid ground, she took off running and Jordan could only try to keep up with her as she headed right for the doorway.

When he rounded the corner, he couldn't help but smile at the sight of Kylie with her arms wrapped around Ryan's knees, the little girl's face was buried in Ryan's thighs and her mother's hand was running over the top of Kylie's head. Ryan met Jordan's eyes and forced a smile in his direction, he gave her a nod in response and took a few steps closer to them.

"I have to go back into the station later to cover a prisoner transport." Jordan stated bluntly and Ryan looked down at her little girl before looking right back at Jordan.

"Okay." She said softly and Jordan could tell that something was bothering her. There was something on her mind and maybe this was the minute that she told him they still needed to talk, maybe she'd suggest letting Kylie go play in her room for a little while so that they could have a conversation, maybe this was where Ryan gave him the ultimatum of her or Lydia. "When do you have to leave?"

"Um, a couple hours." Jordan answered and looked Ryan up and down.

"I still want to talk to you but I guess it can wait." She murmured and gently drummed her fingers against the top of Kylie's head, drawing the little girl's attention upwards. "Did you behave for Jordan?"

"I did." Kylie beamed up at her mother.

"You didn't kick him again?" Ryan asked in a teasing tone and Kylie immediately shied away from her gaze, looking over at Jordan with an almost embarrassed look on her face.

"No kicking." Jordan smiled and Kylie seemed to visibly relax.

"How _did_ last night go anyways?" Ryan pressed and Kylie peeled herself away from Ryan's legs, she grabbed her hand instead and Ryan led them all into the kitchen, Jordan following behind her closely.

"Uneventful." Jordan answered vaguely, wanting nothing more than to keep things civil. The last thing he wanted was another argument, especially when things between him and Ryan seemed to be going so well so far. "Nothing happened."

"With the girl's house, or with Lydia?" Ryan narrowed her gaze in on him and he raised his hands in surrender.

"Neither, Lydia just showed up with coffee, that's all."

"Cross your heart?" Ryan whispered and stole a glance down at Kylie, who was staring intently at Jordan, waiting for his answer just like her mother.

"Cross my heart." Jordan echoed the words and smiled at Ryan, who reluctantly smiled back at him. "I love you, and Kylie."

She gave him a nod but didn't move. Kylie still had a hold of her hand and when Jordan took a few steps closer, eliminating the space between their bodies, Ryan stiffened. When he gently set his palms on either side of her neck, she blew out a low breath but held his gaze, not daring to look away as he leaned in, gingerly pressing his lips against hers in a soft kiss.

When he pulled away, Kylie let out a snort at their actions, and Ryan simply looked at him, waiting for him to speak again.

"Kissing is gross." Kylie grumbled and slipped her arms around Ryan's one leg, hugging it tight.

"Okay Ky-pie," Ryan shook her head in amusement and caught the grin on Jordan's face, "what do you say we get a start on dinner, how does steak and potatoes sound?"

Kylie tipped her head back and looked up at Ryan, then she shifted her gaze over to Jordan, who gave her an encouraging look, waiting for her to agree to the dinner suggestion. She unwrapped her arms from around Ryan's leg and waved them in the air, silently asking to be picked up, which Ryan did without the verbal cue. Once Kylie was settled against her hip, she relaxed and rested her head on Ryan's shoulder.

"Can we have chicken fingers and fries instead?" Kylie whined.

"I guess that sounds okay." Ryan faked a sigh but broke out into a grin. "What do you say Jordan, can you grab the stuff out of the freezer and watch Ky-pie here for just a few more minutes so I can go get changed?"

Jordan's lips turned upwards into a genuine smile, "I'd love to."

Ryan set her daughter down on the floor, gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and then headed for the stairway, pausing only to give Jordan a quick kiss on the lips as she passed. Once she was out of sight, Kylie looked up at Jordan with a mischievous grin and waved her hands into the air, yet again silently requesting to be picked up.

Jordan complied and lifted her up, setting her against his hip and looking right into her eyes. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on as he wandered across the kitchen to the freezer.

"You make mommy smile." Kylie remarked and held on a little bit tighter as Jordan grabbed the handle and pulled the freezer open. "And me too."

"Well that's something I always like to hear. I like making you two smile." Jordan felt her relax in his hold and she let out a contented sigh. "I love you too Kylie, you know that, right?"

"Mm hmm." She hummed and lifted her little hand up, running her fingers along his cheek. "I love you too."

Jordan could only smile in response.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 **Do you guys like the way that Kylie and Jordan get along? And how about Ryan trying to play matchmaker for Melissa?**

 **anime7lover78861: Yes! Nothing better than a little baby ball of fire! Your review gave me the most adorable mental picture of a little baby hellhound, thanks!**

 **poorxbrokexcollegexkid: No spontaneous bursts of flame for Ryan's baby haha. Thanks so much!**

 **Tiffany: Aw! Your reaction made me smile :) thanks so much for the review and I hope you continue to read and enjoy!**

 **Guest: Oh for sure, Jordan definitely needs to get his head out of his ass. I think he might come to his senses soon enough. Thanks for the wonderful review**


	51. Chapter 51

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary:_ _One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 _ **Chapter 51** **:**_

Surprised, Jordan had been thoroughly surprised when he walked into the sheriff's station to find Lydia Martin sitting at his desk. She had a lighter in her hand, her thumb running back and forth over the side of it and Jordan hesitated, stopping in his tracks, to take a look around before deciding what his next move was going to be. The way he saw it, he had two options: go over to his desk and talk to her or ignore her altogether.

He was completely aware that Ryan wouldn't like the idea of him sitting down and talking to Lydia, especially when he was at work, but she was clearly here for a reason and he was curious as to what that reason could possibly be. It had to be important, didn't it, or else why would she have tracked him down at work, why would she have been sitting at his desk waiting for him? Maybe there was a supernatural crisis, maybe she needed his help, but then again, when he looked at her, she didn't look panicked, not even a little bit. She looked calm.

Right, so maybe she wasn't here to talk to him about some sort of crisis, but that didn't answer his question as to why she was sitting at his desk inside the sheriff's station. He felt a little uneasy but nonetheless, Jordan took a few steps forward, closed the distance between them and forced a smile at her while he sat down in his chair. She cocked her head to the side and gave him the same sultry smile that she so often gave him lately, and Jordan's blood ran cold.

Ryan might've had a point, her jealousy might be justified, there was no way that someone who was _just_ a friend would ever look at him the way that Lydia did.

"Shouldn't you be at home?" Jordan questioned as he shifted slightly in the chair, getting a little more comfortable under her lingering gaze. "Maybe doing homework or something?"

"Already done." Lydia answered nonchalantly and flicked her thumb over the lighter, a flame erupting from the end as she held it between them, her fist resting on the desk as she did so. "There's something I want to try."

"Something like what?" Jordan countered and she let go of the lighter, the flame disappearing. She studied him for a few seconds and when Jordan found her eyes were staring directly into his, he looked away, glancing down at the floor in a pathetic attempt to keep his composure.

He had a girlfriend, he didn't need Lydia's attention, not when Ryan gave him all the attention he needed, yet somehow he couldn't just outright say that to Lydia. It was getting easier and easier to see that Lydia didn't just look at him like a friend, no, there was clearly some sort of attraction on her part, and Jordan felt slightly guilty for not shutting her down right away.

In his mind though, he needed her. He needed her help, he needed her knowledge and he wasn't going to give that up, not until he had answers or he could handle his supernatural side on his own.

"Involving fire." She purred and flipped the lighter once again, a second flame illuminating the space between them.

"You going to do a magic trick?" Jordan asked and her thumb immediately moved away, the flame going out instantly.

"No," she shot back, a serious tone to her voice, "but you are."

"I only know one trick and it's with a playing card." Jordan pointed out, setting his elbow on the desk in front of him and lifting his hand up. He held his fist in front of his chin and tried, with much difficulty, not to smile at Lydia, but it was hard, too hard. She wasn't like Ryan, not at all, but that didn't mean he liked her.

He _had_ Ryan and the more he found himself almost enjoying the time he and Lydia shared, the more he had to remind himself that there was a woman waiting for him when he got home, and that wasn't even getting into the fact that Ryan had Kylie, yet another female who seemed to love him. So why, if he had all of that, if he had everything that he could've wanted, did he find himself so calm and relaxed around Lydia?

"Well, this one involves a lighter and your hand." Lydia shot back, fidgeting with the lighter, moving it between her fingers.

"This is sounding less like a magic trick and more like assault." Jordan remarked and leaned back in his seat, his fist still in front of his face. He clenched his fingers, dug his nails into his palm and hoped that it was enough to remind him that this was real, Lydia was sitting in front of him and he wasn't doing a damn thing to get rid of her.

Ryan wouldn't be too happy if she ever found out. But _did_ she need to find out? Jordan looked at Lydia, really looked at her, and fought off the urge to shake his head. They needed each other, didn't they? It was a mutual dependency, right?

Lydia was helping him and he was helping her, that was all it was, all _they_ were, yet part of Jordan knew he was lying to himself.

"It's a little dangerous, yes." She smirked at him and Jordan lowered his hand to the desk, his knuckles resting against the cool surface. "But it's not as bad as being lit on fire in a deputy sheriff's car, which by the way, you walked away from unscathed."

"Not entirely, I had to pay for the uniform." Jordan joked before he could even really think about what he was saying.

No, no he hadn't gotten out of the car unscathed, he had been terrified when Haigh had lit the car up, he had been terrified that he was going to die, that Ryan would lose him in such a horrific way, and while he hadn't been physically scarred, there were deeper wounds that still hadn't quite healed.

Lydia tilted her head to the side and looked him in the eye, "give me your hand."

Her command wasn't something he was just going to do because she asked, no, this wasn't normal, there was something not right about the whole situation that he wasn't entirely comfortable with and it had nothing to do with the lighter residing in her hand.

"I have a girlfriend." Jordan said firmly and held her gaze.

"Then I promise not to leave any marks." Lydia cooed and he sucked in a breath. "Now give me your hand."

Jordan debated arguing with her, he debated proclaiming that he was with Ryan, that he loved Ryan, but Lydia hadn't even flinched at his statement. Either she didn't care that he was taken or whatever she wanted to do with him had nothing to do with the lingering attraction that she had for him.

He blew out a breath and remained as calm as he could, holding out his hand as he responded, "I think I've seen something like this in a movie."

"Lawrence of Arabia." Lydia threw in quickly.

"Remind me what the trick was?" Jordan nearly groaned at the sight of her holding the lighter steady in her own hand while she lined up the top of it with his palm, which was facing down towards the desk.

"Not minding." Lydia offered up, her tone not veering away from calm at all.

She flicked her thumb against the lighter and the flame sparked to life, all the while Jordan felt his heart starting to beat that extra little bit faster. He wasn't sure he liked this situation, there were going to be flames directly under his hand and she was in control, but what was she trying to do? What was the point of the exercise?

Slowly and meticulously, she moved the flame closer and closer to him and when he could feel the heat against his skin, he tried _not_ to feel it, to ignore the searing. He hoped that the pain wasn't real, but it was there, his hand throbbing from the contact of the fire.

"Ow," he ripped his hand back, shaking it in an attempt to get some of the pain to go away. "Son of a-"

She cut him off with a sarcastic laugh, shaking her head at him.

"You can last longer than that." Lydia was practically taunting him and he bit back the words that he wanted to say to her.

He wanted to bring up Ryan again, he wanted to make sure that Lydia knew he wasn't interested in her like that, but the look on her face told him that she wouldn't care anyways. In the short amount of time that he knew Lydia Martin, he had already realized that she was the type of girl who went after what she wanted, and if she wanted him, then saying he wasn't available wouldn't keep her away.

She leaned forward, rested her elbows on the edge of the desk and tucked the lighter into her hand further, the side of it resting against her palm instead of in the bends of her fingers.

"This time I want you to do something different." Her hands stretched out towards his and when her slender fingers slid around his larger ones, he held his breath, attempting to calm his thrumming heart. "Don't think about the flame, don't think about the heat, don't think about it hurting, don't even look at it."

"Okay." Jordan said, blowing out an anxious breath, her grip on his hands getting harder as she gently pulled his hand back out in between them. "Remember though, you promised not to leave any marks."

"I know, I wouldn't want your girlfriend to think I'm being too _rough_ with you." Lydia smirked.

She held his gaze and didn't break eye contact as she lit the lighter up one more time, moving the flame closer and closer to his hand. He focused his energy on Ryan, trying to picture her in his head, her smile, her laugh, even Kylie's face appeared and he couldn't help but feel his heart slowing down, not quite back to its normal rhythm but certainly enough that his heart no longer felt like it was going to explode.

He knew that his eyes were locked on Lydia but he wasn't really looking _at_ her, no, his mind was drifting, he was thinking about Ryan, about Kylie, and then he started thinking about the nightmare that he had been having lately.

Ryan had no idea that he was struggling with a terrifying dream, he hadn't told her because he hadn't wanted to worry her. She had enough to worry about without his repetitive nightmare, he didn't feel the need to load her up with his own anxieties, especially when it was _just_ a dream.

Seconds passed and Jordan still didn't feel the heat on his hand, but it didn't matter, the images of the bodies, the giant tree stump where they were all littered, unmoving human carcasses, plagued his thoughts, distracting him so that he didn't feel the fire.

"Oh." Lydia's hand jerked back, the flame moving away from his hand before disappearing as she let go of the top of the lighter. He blinked, bringing his mind back to reality, back to the task at hand, and he looked at Lydia, but this time, he _saw_ her.

"What? What happened?" He asked in a slight panic.

"Oh, it was too hot, my thumb was too close to the flame." Lydia answered and shut her eyes for a second, trying to pull herself back together from her momentary lapse.

"Are you okay?" Jordan pressed, not wanting her to have hurt herself.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She sighed and met his eyes before her gaze flickered to his hand. "What about you?"

He turned his hand over and looked at his palm, which had blackened from the heat. The ash on his hand was obvious but it didn't hurt, he didn't feel anything. Lifting his other hand up, he ran his thumb across the ash coloured layer of skin, peeling the soot away and leaving a clean, unblemished streak in its path.

She took in the sight of the ash on his hand and her eyes widened.

"Did it hurt?" She asked and Jordan shook his head no. "When you were looking at me-your eyes kind of drifted. What were you thinking about?"

 _Ryan_. He had been thinking about Ryan, but that wasn't it, that wasn't the only thing he was thinking about. His nightmare, his terrifying dream had taken over his thoughts of Ryan and he knew that his nightmare was more than just a figment in his imagination.

"A dream." He answered in a soft tone.

"What dream?" Lydia pressed.

"I've had it here and there for about six months: I'm walking in the woods, carrying a body, but it's completely burned." He explained, hoping that he didn't sound crazy. "I can't see who it is, or who it _was_."

"Where are you taking it?"

"A clearing. There's a huge tree in the middle of it, you'd think it was a thousand years old but it's been cut down, it's just a stump." Jordan felt his heart picking back up in pace. He hadn't said anything about the dream out loud before and as he spoke the words, it felt more real than it had ever felt before.

"It's real, it's a real tree, in a real part of Beacon Hills. It used to be the center of a grove of trees called a Nemeton." Lydia stated matter-of-factly.

"What's a Nemeton?"

"A sacred meeting place for Celtic Druids. They were scientists and healers thousands of years ago." Lydia continued to answer his questions and Jordan found himself wondering what it all meant, _if_ it meant anything at all.

Was his dream more than just a dream, was he putting Ryan and Kylie in danger by staying with them, by _living_ with them and being with them? Should he have taken his nightmare more seriously before it had gotten to this point, especially now that Lydia was telling him that it wasn't just a place in his dreams but that it was a real place in Beacon Hills?

What did it all mean? Was he a danger to other people, was he a danger to himself?

"I've never seen this place." Jordan confessed, confusion evident in his tone. He had been in Beacon Hills for a while and the only place that he had seen the stump was the clearing in his dream, which had always happened while he was sleeping.

Had Ryan ever seen it? Did she happen to know where it was and if she did, did she know what it was? Did she know that it was called a Nemeton?

"But that's why you're here, it drew you here. That's what it does, it's a beacon for supernatural creatures, it might even make them more powerful." Lydia went on, continuing with her explanation. "What else happens?"

He pushed his chair back and made his way to his feet, taking a few steps away from her with his back in her direction. He took a second to consider the answer to her question and when he figured out what he wanted to tell her, Jordan turned to face her, but his eyes moved downwards, refusing to meet her stare.

"I put the body down, I- I lay it down on the rings of the trees and-" Jordan could picture the dream again, clear as day in his head. The bodies, hundreds of them, lay motionless against the tree stump, each and every one of them covered in ash, because of him, because of whatever he _was_.

"What?" Lydia stared at him encouraging him to keep talking. Jordan couldn't bear to say anything more to her out loud, no, his dream was too terrifying, too real, and saying the words made it more than just a dream.

"Nothing, that's it. That's the end of the dream." Jordan answered with a slight shake of his head. "It's just a dream."

"Have you told anyone else?" Lydia inquired and Jordan shook his head again. The idea of sharing something so awful, so grotesque, with Ryan hadn't crossed his mind.

He knew she had seen enough horrifying things in the past little while to last her a lifetime so what was the point of adding to her stress? With that in mind though, he couldn't help but wonder if maybe telling her would help them get back to the way they were, the way they used to be when they were happy, when they weren't arguing all the time over Lydia.

Ryan was the woman that he loved, the woman that he wanted to keep safe and to protect at all costs, but there was definitely tension between them. Could he talk to her about his nightmare? Could he talk to her about the supernatural?

"No, I haven't told anyone else." Jordan answered honestly and made a vow to _try_ to talk to Ryan about the dream, or at the very least, the supernatural presence in Beacon Hills.

"Did you want to try it again?" Lydia waved the lighter in front of him and he glanced back to the clock hanging on the wall. The transport team would be meeting up in a little while and he wanted to be prepared, he wanted to be focused on the task of moving Donovan out of the holding cell and into the van without incident.

Did he want to try it again? Did he want to feel the heat against his palm? Maybe, but the more he thought about it, the more he wanted Ryan to be a part of it and not _just_ Lydia. If he was going to start to distance himself from the teenaged girl in front of him, he was going to have to start opening up to Ryan and if that meant dragging her deeper into the world of the supernatural, then that's precisely what he was going to do.

"I think you should be getting home." Jordan instructed.

The look of disappointment on Lydia's face didn't fizz on him at all. For the first time in weeks, he knew what he had to do and that was open up to Ryan, the woman he loved.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

By the time came for Jordan to do what he had come into work to do, he had managed to get the nightmare out of his head. He had decided that as soon as he had a few free minutes alone with Ryan, he'd explain everything to her, including his dream, what he and Lydia did when they were alone and his fears of the supernatural, more specifically his fear of hurting them because of what he was.

So when Deputy Clark stopped by his desk and motioned for him to join her, he was quick to leap to his feet and follow along behind her as she led him to the holding cells. The prisoner was sitting on the bench on the side of the cell and as soon as Clark put the key card in to unlock the door, Jordan readied his hand and set it on the handle of his gun, preparing himself to take control of the situation if it happened to turn south. The cell door shut behind Clark, leaving Jordan outside of the cell to keep watch.

Most of the deputies on guard that night were familiar with Donovan, his antics, his threats, and most importantly, the crimes that he committed which had landed him in the jail cell to start with. Nothing would surprise Jordan when it came to the young man in front of him, in fact, he was rather happy at the fact that the deputies at the station would no longer have to deal with Donovan at all.

Standing guard while Clark put hand cuffs on the kid, Jordan kept himself ready in case Donovan made a move. A few minutes of Clark cuffing and chaining the guy later and Jordan finally felt himself relaxing the slightest little bit, but not completely, after all, they were in Beacon Hills and no one knew who was really, completely human or not. Once Donovan and Clark were ready to move, Jordan ran the card through the electronic lock and let the door open up once again.

With Clark's hand around Donovan's bicep, Jordan took the lead and began walking out to the main part of the station, and ultimately towards the doors that would lead to the awaiting transport van.

Rounding the corner, Jordan laid his eyes on Donovan's waiting attorney, then he looked past him and caught sight of the sheriff inside his office with Stiles and Scott McCall. Whatever the man was doing wasn't any of Jordan's business but nonetheless, the man was still his boss and if he was going to say anything, Jordan was going to listen.

Jordan moved forward quicker than he had been and when he approached the door, he paused and turned back, listening to the attorney, Donovan and his fellow deputy exchanging heated words.

"I'll be blunt. It's not what I was hoping for, but the DA's offer is still pretty reasonable." Donovan's attorney had stated, his voice loud, firm and clear. Jordan shook his head and prayed that him and Deputy Clark could keep the situation under control, especially if Donovan decided to fly off the rail like he was known to do.

"What's reasonable?" Donovan shot back and it was obvious to anyone within hearing distance that the kid was getting angry.

"Talk in the van, guys. Let's go." Clark commanded, Jordan looked between the attorney and his fellow deputy before taking a step towards them, trying to alleviate the tension within the situation.

"No! Just tell me. What's reasonable?" Donovan was getting angrier by the second and Jordan knew that someone was going to have to do _something_ to keep everyone inside the station safe.

"Mr. Stewart, are we going to have trouble with your client?" Jordan broke in, his voice even, calm and authoritative. This was what he was good at, this was his job and he knew how to handle criminals, even unruly ones.

"No, Deputy." Mr. Stewart, Donovan's attorney, replied, almost sounding exasperated. He looked over at Donovan, keeping his voice calm. "They want you for three to five, so why don't we get in the van and discuss a plea bargain that gets you out in two?"

The whole time the attorney was speaking, Donovan was looking everywhere but at the man who was simply trying to help him. When he finally let Mr. Stewart's words sink in, he jerked his head upright and immediately called out, his voice laced with unease and putting Jordan into protective mode.

"Stilinski! Stilinski!" Donovan continued to yell and it wasn't until the very sheriff himself finally walked out of his office that Donovan chose to use a different word. "I'm going to kill you."

Taking hold of Donovan's other side, letting Clark keep hold of the kid's right, he made sure that the prisoner was as secure as he could be, but other than that, he didn't move. Jordan remained silent next to him and looked at the sheriff, waiting for the man in charge to give him any sort of signal to do something. Until Jordan received that sort of signal though, he figured the sheriff could handle a delinquent kid on his own.

"Donovan, if you think that shocks me, remember it was well-documented in your Anger Expression Inventory." The sheriff replied calmly and looked right at Jordan. "Deputies, escort the prisoner out."

"I'm not angry like I'm going to throw a brick through your window. I'm angry, like I'm going to find you, I'm going to get a knife and I'm going to stab you with it until you're dead. And when you look at me and you ask me why, remember right now. Because this is why." Donovan's tone was calm, way too calm for Jordan's liking, so he gripped the boy's arm a little harder, reminding him that he was in cuffs and chains, he wasn't going to hurt anyone for the time being.

There was a part of Jordan that feared the boy, but not because of his threats, no, he was afraid of Donovan because anyone who could so easily threaten the sheriff in front of other people had issues. It was clear to everyone in the room that Donovan was unstable and Jordan couldn't help but wonder if the kid would actually go through with hurting anyone.

He didn't want to take any chances though and he wasn't going to make assumptions that Donovan wasn't really dangerous, not when there were people in Beacon Hills that counted on him to keep them safe, people like Ryan, Kylie, hell even Ken was banking on him. He wasn't going to underestimate a criminal like Donovan and let Ryan, Kylie or Ken end up in trouble because he hadn't just taken the threats seriously.

"Shut up." Jordan growled in such a low tone that he swore the only other person, aside from Donovan, who had heard him was Deputy Clark. Donovan made another lame attempt to jerk his arm free from Jordan's grasp but he easily just squeezed the kid's arm tighter.

Silence filled the station, except for the sounds of Donovan's chains, and no one made any attempt to move. Jordan's grip tightened even more, causing Donovan to flinch the slightest little bit, but not enough to warrant a pained protest.

"Wow, that was awesome." Stiles was the first one to break the silence and Jordan couldn't help but look at the sheriff's son. Here Jordan was, not daring to brush off Donovan's threat, and the son of the very man being questioned was treating the entire situation like a joke. Well that was definitely unexpected. "That was awesome. That was great. We do one more? Give us another one, maybe like Christopher Walken this time, you know."

The sheriff turned back to look at Stiles, apparently he also didn't believe that his son was being so nonchalant about the threat. Jordan loosened his grasp on Donovan's arm only so that he could get a better grip on him, this time he dug his fingers right in, watching carefully as Donovan leaned into his nasty hold, clearly affected by the pressure on his arm that Jordan was using.

Jordan couldn't exactly blame Stiles though, it wasn't like he had someone in his life quite like Ryan or Kylie, which meant that he didn't have to think of the bigger picture, the bigger consequences to his actions. Jordan didn't want to draw too much attention to himself in case Donovan decided to threaten him, or his family, the way he had just threatened the sheriff.

It wasn't hard in this day and age to get on the internet and connect people, plus Beacon Hills was a relatively small town. It wouldn't take too much for anyone to discover Jordan's connection to the Sloane family, and if he could do something as simple as keep his mouth shut to protect them, then that's exactly what he was going to do. Stiles, apparently, hadn't considered it that way.

"Okay, you know what? It's fine. You'll have plenty of time to work on it when you're in your tiny, little cell, you know, just stuck there, forever." Stiles pressed, continuing to taunt the boy in custody.

Donovan blew out a breath and tilted his head from side to side, locking his eyes on Stiles. Jordan and Clark made a move to pull him back and for the first few seconds, Donovan moved with them but at the last second, Donovan resisted and tried to throw himself towards Stiles.

Jordan gripped his arm so hard that he feared he might break the kid's skin, but it didn't matter in the long run, so long as he kept Donovan away from anyone. He struggled for a few seconds but regained the upper hand and gave Donovan a harsh shove back towards the door.

"Get him out of here!" The sheriff yelled out and Jordan immediately forced him through the doorway, the sheriff, Stiles and Scott disappearing from sight.

He continued to walk alongside Donovan, with Clark on the kid's other side, and once they were outside, they headed in the direction of the waiting van. He put his other hand around Donovan's arm and let Clark step forward to open the back door to the transport vehicle.

Once the doors were open and Donovan was inside, Jordan made sure he was secured and then proceeded to slam the back door shut, giving the vehicle an open palmed smack to signal to the driver that they were good to go. The van started moving and once it was at the road, he turned towards Clark, who was already looking up at him.

"That kid wanted to be a deputy." She said in a soft tone. "Can you imagine working with a guy like him?"

Jordan stifled a nervous chuckle and shook his head. He silently prayed that Donovan would make it to his destination without running into any obstacles. The safety of Beacon Hills was riding on it.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 **Well, are you guys a little proud that Jordan told Lydia that she should be getting home? Do you think he's starting to come to his senses regarding all the time he spends with Lydia?**

 **DJDragon1: What a mess indeed! I'm sure things will work out for Jordan and Ryan, they're pretty strong as a pair.**

 **anime7lover78861: Soon...ish. She WILL tell him though, not to fear.**

 **poorxbrokexcollegexkid: I'm so glad, one of my biggest fears is that Kylie suddenly becomes unlikeable or just a second thought!**

 **Guest: Maybe Jordan will start to see things more from Ryan's perspective and realize what a tool he's being...I hope he can redeem himself in your eyes :)**

 **sarahmichellegellarfan1: I don't think he'd cheat on her either, but I guess anything could happen haha**


	52. Chapter 52

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 52:_**

Donovan never made it to his destination, which is precisely why Jordan was out working the scene instead of heading home like he had originally planned.

Ryan had been relatively understanding of the situation when he called her on the drive over to where the transport van had wound up, she was disappointed but he couldn't help but hear the slightly more relaxed tone to her voice. Apparently so long as he wasn't going anywhere to meet up with the one and only Lydia Martin, then she was okay with it. Jordan couldn't really complain, he knew what had happened to Cole, he knew how it still pained her to think about her late husband, so with all of that on Ryan's mind, Jordan was glad that she hadn't put up too much of a fight.

That being said though, it didn't make the crime scene any better, it didn't make the sight of the dead body any less worse but that wasn't Ryan's fault, no, that was the fault of whoever had gone after the transport van to start with, which was still a mystery to everyone at the scene. Donovan had managed to disappear and as much as Jordan prayed that the kid would show up, he was starting to wonder if there was something bigger at play, something more on the supernatural side.

"Come on, give me a break." Jordan pleaded with the higher powers but he shook his head and made a plan to locate the very sheriff himself. If this was more than just an average murder then he was going to need to converse with the chief. "Where are you?"

Keeping his head held up high, Jordan scanned the growing crowd and locked his eyes on the all too familiar strawberry blonde. She was standing next to Malia and Kira, the three of them looming just outside of the police tape, but it didn't matter where they stood, Jordan was surprised to see them there at all.

He pulled his eyes away from Lydia and took another look around, desperate to lay his eyes on anyone who could help him find the sheriff. Chaos surrounded him and Jordan had to shift out of the way of his fellow deputies so that he didn't get shoved sideways. People were all over the place: deputies were still working hard to cordon off the scene, paramedics were running back and forth trying to save one of the victims and onlookers continued to surround the taped off area of the road.

There were just far too many people around and if Jordan hadn't witnessed the arrival of the sheriff for himself, then he wouldn't have assumed the man was there at all. The sheriff had shown up though, he had arrived around the same time as Jordan and apparently calling off his date for the time being. Looking around one last time, Jordan had finally managed to locate him, heading right for him, and hoping to get to the man in charge before anything else distracted him.

"Sheriff!" Jordan called out and surged forward, refusing to pull his eyes away from his boss. "Sheriff!"

Jordan kept heading for him and when he was within reach, he came to a stop and stood face to face with Sheriff Stilinski. Stiles was hanging around nearby and Jordan didn't bother to ask what he was doing there. It didn't really matter in the long run, the kid was curious, too curious for his own good, and Jordan knew that Stiles wouldn't just leave it alone, even if the sheriff of Beacon Hills personally asked him too.

Part of him appreciated Stiles' no-quit attitude, at the very least, he knew that he had someone he could go to when he was having issues with the supernatural, and if that cost him some confidential information, then that was the price Jordan was willing to pay to keep other people safe from the things that they didn't even know existed.

"Parrish! Can you give me a status on the perimeter?" The sheriff asked and Jordan stole a quick glance behind him, taking in the mayhem that he had just pushed his way through.

"I, uh, it's…" Jordan moved his head back and forth, looking left and right as he tried to gauge the scene around him. "What's going on?"

"What's going on is we have a crime scene that needs to be secured." The sheriff responded, his voice firm and loud enough that Jordan could hear him very, _very_ clearly over the crowd. "Can you give me a status on the perimeter?"

"Sir, I'm not sure. It hasn't been breached, except for by your own son-"

"Get over here." The sheriff waved Jordan closer and he moved right behind him, even Stiles was walking alongside the two of them. Jordan didn't say another word as the sheriff led them over to where Lydia stood, Jordan's heart picking up in pace once he realized where they were going.

Lydia met his gaze but looked over towards the sheriff, not saying a word. Stiles stepped over and stood next to his teenaged cohort while Jordan took in the sight of the crime scene one more time. The carnage was absolutely horrifying, a dead attorney, two mortally wounded officers, not to mention the damage to the van and the man power that would need to be pulled together to help take care of everything.

"Tell him." The sheriff locked his eyes onto his son's and Jordan looked between the two Stilinskis, slightly confused as to what they were trying to do.

"Lydia…Lydia found the body." Stiles admitted in a low tone, cautious of the potential for prying ears around him. Jordan's eyes widened in shock and he reluctantly looked at the girl in question, who merely gave him a nod, confirming what Stiles had just announced.

"I was with Kira and Malia, we were- we were supposed to be going to the school." Lydia threw in. "We ended up here instead, because of me…because of me."

Jordan studied her face and took note that the expression she held was one full of fear and confusion. This girl in front of him, the strawberry blonde who was trying to help him, was so much more than just a teenager, she wasn't even completely human, and Jordan shook his head, trying to suspend the idea of reality yet again.

The idea that she had the abilities to find bodies gave him chills and he couldn't begin to imagine the sort of stress associated with what she did. Lydia, as much as he didn't like to admit, was someone that he found himself looking to when he needed supernatural support.

"Do you know anything more than-"

Before Jordan could finish his sentence, his radio sprung to life, a voice he was familiar with came over the frequency.

"I've got something!"

"Scott, is that you?" Jordan asked, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. The sheriff offered him up a sympathetic look before shrugging as if to say 'what can you do'.

"Yeah, I found Donovan. He's completely freaked out. He keeps saying some name." Scott's voice was loud and clear over the radio and Jordan wondered how far the sheriff was willing to send Scott in order to protect the citizens of Beacon Hills. He _was_ only a teenager himself, but he was a true alpha and Scott had admitted before that he felt just as responsible as Jordan felt himself.

"What name?" The sheriff pressed, taking control of the radio so that he could speak with Scott instead.

"Theo." Stiles tossed out but Jordan wasn't going to take the kid's answer at face value, not until he heard Scott's answer.

"Tracy. He keeps saying Tracy." Scott answered, sounding exasperated, and Jordan stole a glance over at Lydia, his 'off the books' night shift from the night before flooded into his head.

Tracy, yes, Tracy Stewart, that's who he had been looking out for, that was the girl that Lydia had introduced him to the day before, the same girl who had suffered from night terrors and had believed that birds had tried to get into her house.

It wasn't a coincidence, it couldn't be. In a town like Beacon Hills, things didn't just happen coincidentally.

Before the answer even confirmed it, Jordan knew exactly who Scott was going to say.

"Tracy who?" The sheriff asked, an urgent tone to his voice.

"Stewart." Lydia answered and looked up at Jordan through her lashes. "Tracy Stewart."

"You think she had something to do with _this_?" Jordan whispered and waved his hand over at the transport van, which was still residing in the middle of the road, unmoving.

"We need to go get Donovan and get him back to the station." The sheriff instructed, Jordan pushing the idea of the sweet, innocent looking Tracy Stewart from the day before having something to do with the carnage not more than fifteen feet away to the back of his mind. "Scott where are you?"

Listening as Scott listed off a general location, Jordan nodded his understanding but waited until the Sheriff gave him a wave, a signal to get the hell out of there and get Donovan back.

Apparently anyone was capable of anything in Beacon Hills but for the time being, he had a job to do, he was going to go get Donovan and get the kid back to the station without further incident, at least so long as he was in control.

"I'm on it." Jordan fought off the urge to sigh and headed directly for his truck, leaving Stiles, Lydia and the sheriff behind him. He focused on what he was instructed to do and with one last look back at the dead van, he shook his head and closed in on his vehicle.

Once he was inside, he strapped himself in and put the key into the ignition. As the door fell shut, and when the engine was running, he was ready to go. He hesitantly put the truck into gear and pulled away from the crime scene, freeing his phone out of his pocket in the process. Before he really got moving, he dialed Ryan's phone number and held the device against his ear with one hand, while his other hand resided on the steering wheel, moving slightly so the vehicle was on the right course.

"Hello?" Ryan's voice sounded tired, which immediately had Jordan looking at the clock. It wasn't too late, maybe there was something bothering her, maybe she had trouble relaxing when he wasn't home, or maybe she was still tired from her short shift not all that long ago.

"It's just me." Jordan replied and tried to keep his tone light so as not to scare her.

"Jordan, oh thank god. Are you on your way home?" She asked but Jordan shook his head, anticipating the disappointment that was surely going to come her way because of him.

"Sort of, not really."

"What…what does that mean? You're okay though, right?" Ryan sounded absolutely panicked by this point, Jordan immediately feeling awful for worrying her.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm perfectly fine." He let out a soft sigh and listened as she squeaked in response. "I'm on my way to pick up the kid that was being transported, I'm hoping it won't be too much longer until I'm home but who knows, right?"

"Be careful." She murmured.

"Always." Jordan breathed the word out and stole another look at the clock before deciding what to say next. "Is Kylie still up?"

Ryan hummed at him for a second, "no, I tucked her in a little while ago."

"Okay." He couldn't help but smile at the thought of Kylie being tucked up nice and tight in her bed, even if he did want to talk to her, to tell her that he loved her and make sure that she was okay. The girl wouldn't have any idea of the horrors of the night and if Jordan could help it, she never would. She'd never know what sort of creatures lurked in the dark, or the sorts of things those creatures could do, Kylie was just as much his to protect as Ryan was and that was a job he wasn't going to take lightly. "I love you, _both_ of you."

"We love you too." Ryan said, her voice soft. "Stay safe okay?"

"I will, I'll call you when I'm on my way home?"

"Sounds like a plan." He could hear the smile in her voice, the relief in her tone and Jordan couldn't help but smile at the thought of going home to her, her and Kylie both. He'd whisk Ryan away to bed, stopping only to look in and make sure that Kylie was okay, then he'd curl up under the covers with Ryan and hold her until the sun came up.

"Bye Ry." Jordan gave a nod of his head, listened for her to say her own goodbye and then hung up the phone. With a smile on his face, he turned his attention back to the task in front of him: get to Scott, get control of Donovan and get him back to the station.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

As soon as she had hung up the phone, letting Jordan get back to work, Ryan let out a large sigh and relaxed into the couch. It wasn't too late yet and there was still a good chance that he'd get home at a decent time, but by then, Ryan knew she'd be about ready to go to sleep. Exhaustion was still kicking her butt and until Jordan arrived home, she wasn't going to sleep easy anyways, which meant that she had some time to herself to do whatever she pleased.

The phone was clutched tightly in her hand and Ryan found herself looking down at it. Her shift trade started the next day, another short shift as she was planning to work the evening shift and then get up the next day to be back at the hospital for her appointment, but then again, if everything went according to plan, she'd have solid, undeniable proof that she was pregnant, plus maybe even a guesstimate as to how far along she was. She'd set out a time to tell Jordan sometime after that, and then maybe the two of them would discuss how to handle breaking the news to Kylie, as well as figuring out how to treat the situation between him and her little girl.

Stealing another glance at the phone, Ryan took her bottom lip in between her teeth and began dialing the familiar phone number belonging to the hospital. She lifted the device up to her ear and waited, listening as it rang on the other end. It wasn't even two full rings later that the girl Ryan figured was working the desk picked up with her usual greeting of 'Beacon Hills Memorial, how can I help you', to which Ryan blew out a nervous breath.

"It's Ryan Sloane."

"Oh hi there." It was easy to tell that the woman was being overly friendly, but then again, it was part of the job. Ryan wasn't going to deny that she appreciated the cheery tone though, it was definitely a welcome occurrence in a world where most of her phone calls were filled with panic. "What can I do for you?"

"I was just calling to check in and make sure that my shift swap was still a go, you can never be too careful these days." Ryan forced out a chuckle and hoped that she didn't sound like a total idiot for calling to check in. The woman on the other end of the line let out a humming noise and it wasn't even a second later that Ryan heard papers rustling, followed up by the sound of a keyboard being typed on.

"You're set to start your shift tomorrow at five." The desk clerk stated, Ryan nodding her head along.

"Right, okay."

"Is that right? Is that what you were expecting?"

"It's exactly what I was expecting. What about the next day though?" Ryan questioned and listened once again to the rustling of papers and the clacking of the keys. "I'm supposed to be off."

"Yes, it says here that you're not scheduled back in until-"

Ryan waited for the next word but it never came. If it hadn't been for the ear piercing scream echoing at the other end of the phone call, she would've sworn that she had been disconnected, but she could hear things, she could still hear the hustle and bustle of the hospital, as well as the unmistakable sound of someone screaming.

Waiting ever so patiently while her heart started to hammer against her chest, she hoped and prayed that the woman who had answered the phone was okay. Squeezing her eyes shut, Ryan tried to focus in on the sounds, the muffled noises erupting through the phone, but she couldn't pinpoint anything other than the sheer chaos of whatever was happening at the hospital.

What the hell was happening? Was it possible that there was another Wendigo, another teenager who doubled as a supernatural creature that just so happened to feast on human flesh? Or maybe the sword wielding ninjas had come back, it wasn't like she had ever found out what had happened to them, aside from the fact that they just seemed to be there one minute and gone the next.

Weird things seemed to keep happening at the hospital and for once, Ryan felt relieved that she wasn't there, she didn't have to be a part of the wicked evil that lingered around the town, nor did she have to witness anyone being slaughtered or ripped apart with a blade, but that didn't mean that she wasn't still panicking, even though she was sitting on her couch in the relative safety of her home.

 _Something_ was happening at the hospital, something bad, and what was going to happen to her the next day when she was supposed to be working the evening shift? Would whatever it was that was going on be over by then? Would she still have to go in even if it wasn't? But most importantly, did the scream on the other end of the line mean that Jordan was going to find himself right in the middle of it?

Jordan, Jordan needed to come home to her, he needed to be safe, he needed to stay alive, but if something strange _was_ going on at the hospital, well there was no doubt in her mind that he'd at least hear about it.

"Hello?" Ryan whispered into the phone and suddenly everything on the other end of the line went completely silent. For a few seconds, she heard nothing at all, not a scream, not a cry, not even the movement of a piece of paper.

And then it all came pounding back at her. She could hear frantic footsteps, she could hear people sobbing and crying in the background, and when she finally heard the muffled, far away familiar voice of the woman who worked at the desk, she let out a soft sigh of relief.

She sucked in a breath and tried to ease the tension in her muscles. Fear still gripped at her and she most definitely wasn't looking forward to going into work the next day, but at least if she could hear voices, well that meant that people were still alive. It hadn't been a massacre, it hadn't been a slaughter, which was certainly a step in the right direction.

"Hello?" She called out into the phone, her voice much louder this time.

She waited another few seconds and heard papers being moved, muffled voices speaking to each other, so she quieted down and tried to make out the words that she could barely hear.

" _The psychiatrist?"_

" _Yeah, he's been mangled!"_

" _Mangled?"_

" _Yes, mangled!"_

Ryan felt her grip on the phone loosening and without thinking, she let her hand fall away from her ear, the phone dropping to the couch as she covered her mouth in an attempt to keep her own fearful scream at bay. Kylie was sleeping, her little girl was upstairs in her room and there was no need for her to be woken up by Ryan's terrified scream.

Taking in a deep breath, she scrambled to grab hold of the phone, lifting it back up to her ear and hanging on to it with a vice-like grip. She opened her mouth to speak again but couldn't find her voice. There were still muffled words coming from the other end of the line but she couldn't make them out anymore, she couldn't hear them clearly enough.

"Hello!?" Ryan barked, the sound surprising herself. She hoped that she was loud enough that maybe some of the sound would be heard even if the phone was left neglected on the desk.

Sure enough, about five seconds after calling out, the desk clerk came on the line sounding almost as chipper as she had before she had been cut off.

"Sorry, seems we've had a bit of a mishap here." The woman announced and Ryan could hear the utter panic in her voice, even if she was clearly trying to remain calm.

"What happened?" Ryan asked in her own shaky voice.

"Well I'm not sure that I'm at liberty to-"

"What the hell happened? I heard screaming, did you need me to call 911?"

"That's not necessary, someone's already done that." The woman replied and lowered her voice before speaking again. "We've got another murder here."

"And how are you so calm?" Ryan retorted.

"I'm shaking like a leaf over here. We've got a few deputies here already though-"

"Is one of them Deputy Parrish?" Ryan cut her off and straightened up, fearful that Jordan would get himself put on the case. "Wait, who…who died?"

"One of the psychiatrists." The woman answered, her voice still low. "Brutal sight apparently. Oh, oh no, I'll have to let you go, seems there's a group gathering to give statements."

"Wait, can't you-"

The lady on the other end of the line had hung up before Ryan could even get her sentence out. She listened to the dead phone for a few seconds before finally pulling it away from her ear, letting the device fall to the couch cushion next to her.

Without bothering to call Jordan, Ryan made her way to her feet, crossed her arms over her chest and took in a deep breath, trying to keep herself somewhat calm. She squeezed her eyes shut, pictured Kylie in her mind and then found her mind drifting towards the unborn baby growing inside of her.

Was it in danger? Was going to work the next day going to put her baby in the line of fire? Was it even human?

Ryan hadn't considered the possibility that her baby was anything _but_ human but genetically speaking, it _was_ possible that it would be born supernatural, wasn't it? Jordan was supernatural, but was something like that passed down? Was it hereditary? Was she going to have a peculiar fireball baby?

"Jesus Christ." Ryan growled and opened her eyes, looking around the room. She had no idea what was going to happen, she had no idea what she would give birth to and with the thought of her baby being the same thing as Jordan floating through her mind, she did the only thing she could do at that moment, she straightened up, marched forward and went to check on Kylie.

At the very least, peeking in on her sleeping daughter would be a welcome distraction to the newly discovered information she had just thought of.

Ryan walked for the stairs and took them one at a time, trying, and failing, to push the thought of having a weird, supernatural creature for a baby to the back of her mind. She was going to focus on the moment though, until she had proof, or even a better developed theory, then she was going to assume her unborn child was human.

Stepping up onto the landing at the top of the stairs, another thought crossed her mind, one that would hopefully sate her worries. Derek Hale had informed her, months ago, that she could always call him, he would answer any questions she had, well this certainly qualified for his area of expertise now didn't it?

She had a plan, she was going to go to work the next evening, go to her appointment the following day and then once she had a few more answers, in the human aspect of her pregnancy anyways, she'd call Derek and ask him about supernatural genetics.

For now though, she continued wandering down the hall, closing in on Kylie's room and when she was standing in the doorframe, she studied her sleeping daughter's form. Kylie was snoring softly, tucked away in her room, safe and sound, and if Ryan had anything to say about it, she'd keep Kylie that way. She was her mother, nothing was going to hurt her little girl.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 **Poor Ryan, even when she's not even at work, she can't seem to catch a break.  
**

 **Thank you to all those who left such wonderful reviews!**

 **anime7lover78861: The way that I picture it is that Ryan is his anchor yes but that doesn't mean he's not still connected to Lydia in some way. Anways, I hope that sort of made sense?**

 **DJDragon1: Oh there _will_ be a confrontation between Ryan and Lydia, eventually :) **

**Guest: He knows that Ryan's special to him but he's not just going to ignore Lydia, he likes helping people too much lol**

 **poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Don't be nervous, Ryan can totally handle things ;)**

 **sarahmichellegellarfan1: Not to fear, I don't see him as the cheating type.**


	53. Chapter 53

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 53:_**

By the time Jordan had managed to get a hold of Donovan and take him back to the station, it was just about nearing an hour after he had called Ryan. Before anyone had a chance to recruit him to do anything more, he left the station and hopped right into his truck, heading for home, heading for Ryan.

The drive itself was peaceful and Jordan was growing rather fond of driving through the streets late at night; there were barely any other cars on the roads, which meant that his travel time was significantly less than it would be during the day, when more traffic was present. All in all, by the time he pulled into the driveway, it hadn't even been two hours since he had called Ryan, oh yes, he was making really good time.

The outside light was on, and so was the one in the living room, which meant that Ryan hadn't gone to bed without him. Of course that didn't mean that she hadn't fallen asleep on the couch, but he knew how hard it was for her to try and fall asleep without him there, she had fallen asleep once without Cole and woken up only to find that she'd never be able to fall asleep with him again. Jordan couldn't even begin to imagine the sort of effect that had on her, nor did he want to.

Approaching the front door, he prepared the key in his hand and put it into the lock without even bothering to check, he didn't need to, he just knew. There was no way she'd leave the door unlocked, not with what she knew and not with Kylie sleeping in her bedroom. Ryan was a protective person, especially when it came to her family, and she wasn't going to take any chances.

When the door was unlocked, he quietly opened it and snuck inside, more so for Kylie's sake than Ryan's; he didn't want to accidentally wake the little girl up simply because he had made a loud entrance. Quickly closing, and locking, the door behind him, Jordan then bent down to unlace his shoes but when a shadow crossed over him, he stood back up and locked his eyes on Ryan, who had her arms crossed over her chest and a perplexed look on her face.

"I'm not too late, am I?" Jordan inquired and she let out a soft sigh. He took in the sight of her and made a mental note that it wasn't an angry perplexed look, so she wasn't mad at him, but more of an anxious perplexed look. "Everything okay?"

"No you're not late." She answered his first question and turned her head to look up the stairs, pausing to listen for any hint of having woken up Kylie. When nothing but silence passed between then for a few seconds, she opened her mouth to speak again. "I called in to work to make sure that my shift swap was still good."

"Is it?" Jordan butted in and bent back down to untie his laces for a second time. He flipped his feet free and straightened up, giving Ryan his full, undivided attention back.

"Yeah, no, everything's fine with my shifts."

"Are you going to tell me why you switched to start with?" He asked and she narrowed her eyes in on him. "You don't have to, I was just curious more than anything."

"I have…to go to the dentist." She answered hesitantly and dropped her gaze down so that she was looking at her feet.

"Oh, okay. But that's not the reason why you look worried, is it?"

She shook her head no and let out a soft sigh before taking a few steps towards the stairs. He followed her lead and when she lowered herself down to sit on the bottom tread, he sat down right next to her and set his palm on the inside of her thigh.

"I mean, I'm not a big fan of the dentist either but no, it's not why I look worried." Ryan's tone was soft and Jordan shifted closer to her on the step, even going as far as to give her thigh a gentle, reassuring squeeze. "When I was talking to the girl at the desk, she just sort of stopped talking, in the middle of her sentence, and then I just…I heard screaming, and chaos…and…"

"Ryan." He spoke her name firmly and she turned her head to face him, tears welling up in her eyes. "What happened?"

"She said- she said that there was a murder."

"What?" Jordan stiffened next to her and she leaned into him, slipping her arms around his torso and burying her face into his shoulder.

"You can't leave me, not tonight." She whimpered and Jordan moved his hand away from her thigh and snaked it around her back, his palm moving up and down her spine in a soothing manner. "Please just stay here."

"I will, I'm not going anywhere." He whispered back to her and she tightened her grip on him. Tipping her head back, she looked at him, right in his eyes, and he felt his stomach dropping at the sight of her pained, fear-filled expression.

After everything that they had been through, after the massacre at the hospital, the attack on the sheriff's station, and all of the bizarre, panic-inducing sights she had seen at the hospital, he knew that she'd make it through this as well, but not without him, not without the necessary support. It didn't matter if the sheriff called him personally and asked him to get on the case, he'd flat out refuse because she needed him, she needed him there with her and he owed it to her.

He had run off to meet Lydia too much in recent days and part of him knew that he had put their relationship to the back of his mind, but not anymore. He was going to do his best to be there for her, to keep her and Kylie safe and if that meant saying no to the sheriff once in a while, then so be it. He'd face the consequences when they came but nothing was going to be put in front of Ryan any longer.

"You're okay." He murmured and leaned down, pressing a sweet little kiss against the top of her head. She let out a low whimper and scooted closer to him, eliminating the remaining space between their hips. "I promise you, I'm right here."

"Okay." She bowed her head and eased into him, letting the tension of her body decrease slowly as she basked in the feeling of his arms around her. "Good. That's good."

"I love you."

"I love you too." Ryan replied and Jordan offered her his free hand. She let go of him reluctantly but took his hand in hers, even letting out a sigh of relief at the contact. He had promised her that he wasn't going anywhere, and with her body relaxing next to his, he knew that she believed him.

"Come on, I could use a bath after the night I had and I think you could benefit from a bath too. What do you say?" Jordan suggested, smiling at her.

"I…I think I'd like that."

"Did you want to talk to me anymore about, well, about what you heard?" Jordan pressed and she squeezed his hand in her grip.

"One of the psychiatrists, that's what she said. He was killed but I heard her before she was talking to me, I heard her with another person, they said he was mangled."

"Mangled." Jordan echoed the word and took it into consideration. Mangled was definitely a good way to describe the bodies at the scene of the van crime, was it possible that the apparent murder at the hospital was connected to the attack on the transport van?

Pushing the idea of the crimes being related to the back of his mind, at least for the time being, he steadily made his way to his feet, bringing Ryan with him, and once the two of them were standing straight up, he slipped his other arm around her, breaking the hold she had on his hand. He held her, embraced her and waited for her to be ready to move.

She held his gaze, their foreheads resting against each other, and when she opened her mouth to speak, she let out a nervous squeak before clearing her throat with the hopes that she'd be able to sound normal.

"Knowing there's more than just humans out there is really starting to freak me out." She whispered. "People are bad enough on their own…"

"At least you know though. Can you imagine if things just kept on going the way they were going back when the ninjas attacked? And how would you fare now after witnessing Sean Walcott-"

"Sometimes it's better, other times I'd prefer not to know." She cut him off. "It's not a situation where anyone wins."

"I'd say I won." He smiled at her and she scrunched up her nose at his vague statement. "I got you didn't I? I'd definitely say that's a win in my books."

"You're a cheeseball." She scoffed. "But I appreciate it."

"Well this cheeseball is getting pretty tired, come on, why don't we go have that bath and then head to bed?"

She bowed her head in agreement and Jordan loosened his hold on her so that they could turn to face the stairs head on. Side by side, and one step at a time, the two of them made their way up the stairs, never letting go of one another.

Once they reached the top of the stairs, Jordan hesitated but ushered Ryan forward. She paused and looked at him, a confused expression on her face.

"I just want to check on Kylie, go on ahead, I'll be there to join you in a few minutes."

Ryan let out another sigh but did exactly that. She headed for the bathroom, flipped the light on and disappeared inside, leaving Jordan in the hallway by himself. He produced his cell phone out of his pocket and looked at the screen, seeing the missed message from the sheriff's department. He didn't bother listening to it, he didn't care at that moment, no, he had bigger things to worry about.

Ignoring the missed call and sauntering towards Kylie's room, he leaned against the doorway, shoved his phone back into his pocket and simply watched her. He adored Kylie, he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Ryan and her, but there was something he had to do before they took their relationship to the next step: he had to have a conversation with Ken and ask for the permission that he felt he needed.

Smiling to himself, Jordan reached out, grabbed the edge of Kylie's bedroom door and pulled it shut, securing her inside for the night. He then turned towards the bathroom and walked across the hall, entering through the doorway before shutting it behind him too. His eyes immediately caught sight of Ryan's bare back and the tattoos that resided there.

Without a word between them, he closed the distance between them and gingerly ran his fingers over the angel wings, watching her shiver under his ghostly touch. When his lips pressed against her shoulder, she let out a soft moan, giving him just enough time to wrap his arm around her waist before her legs turned to complete goo.

Holding her tight against him, his fingers biting into the flesh on her hip, he continued to feather kisses across her skin.

"This isn't fair." She whined and he stopped kissing her long enough to let out a chuckle.

Without letting go of her, he used his free hand to work away at the buttons on his shirt and once they were all undone, he made quick work of the buckle on his belt. She turned in his hold, pushing the shirt over his shoulders and watched as it fell gracefully to the bathroom floor. Her hands then roamed over his chest, her index finger tracing the shape of a heart, directly over his.

"Is it fair now?" Jordan teased and pushed his pants down to join his shirt on the floor. She moved her one hand down and ran her finger along the waistband of his boxer briefs.

"Fair-ish." She cooed in response and looked down to the spot on the floor where her very own underwear sat neglected. "I'm going to get in the water and then I want you to _get_ in."

"That was the plan." Jordan smiled.

"I wasn't talking about _you_ getting in the water though, I want _you_ to get in me."

"I'm aware and, like I said, that was the plan." His smile turned into a full on grin and she cocked her head to the side before stepping out of his hold.

Bypassing him, Ryan climbed into the tub, which was still filling up with hot water and bubbles, and proceeded to sit down to wait. Jordan stripped out of the remainder of his clothes and hopped in, sitting down next to her and drawing her to him.

"I like when you come home to stay." She breathed the words out and Jordan leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers yet again.

"I like it too, I think I might start doing it more often."

She didn't say another word in response, instead, she closed the distance between their lips and kissed him hard, after all, she didn't know how much more time like this that they'd get to spend together, especially if she was pregnant.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Jordan had left for work that morning while Ryan was still in bed. He had debated waking her up but one look at the clock, as well as the early time glowing red on the face of it, and he knew that she deserved a little longer in bed. So, once he had checked on Kylie, who was also still sleeping, he had managed to tip toe out of the house without waking either girl up.

His first task when he got to work was to find out the whereabouts of Tracy Stewart around the time that the transport van had been attacked. The sheriff himself was busy talking to Donovan, trying to get any relevant information out of the kid as he could, but Jordan figured he wasn't having much luck. Donovan was a criminal, a criminal who had admitted to hating the sheriff in front of a whole bunch of witnesses, Jordan wasn't confident that the kid would admit anything to anyone, especially the sheriff.

It hadn't been as difficult as Jordan was figuring it would be to figure out where Tracy Stewart had been the night before, in fact, once he caught wind of the murder at the hospital, the same murder that Ryan had told him about, he wondered if maybe they were linked. It had been six months where nothing too weird had happened and now all of a sudden shit was hitting the fan again, no, Jordan wasn't about to ignore the fact that it _was_ possible that Tracy and the psychiatrist were linked.

As soon as he laid his eyes on the photos of the dead psychiatrist, Jordan had no doubt in his mind that this was caused by something more than human. Looking into the psychiatrist's patient files, he had found the very one he was looking for and he placed Tracy at the hospital, but only theoretically.

Proving she had been there would be a different story, but then again, all it had taken was for him to comb through the witness statements. He thanked the heavens above that someone who knew the psychiatrist rather well also identified Tracy Stewart as being at the scene.

Well if the rest of Jordan's cases were as easy as this one, he'd be all too thankful.

With his newfound knowledge, Jordan set his sights on locating the sheriff to inform him of what he had found. It wasn't hard to find his boss, in fact, the older man was still locked inside the cell with Donovan, the two of them conversing, okay, it was more like the sheriff was speaking and Donovan was doing everything he could to get rid of the man.

Jordan closed in on the cell and stood just outside of it, behind the sheriff. He kept his eyes trained on Donovan, who was sitting on the bench on the other side of the room, his back against the wall, his head hung as he refused to meet the sheriff's piercing gaze. As quietly as he could, Jordan ran his key card through the slot and opened the cell door wide, taking up a stance inside of it while he leaned his back against the end of the bars. The sheriff didn't even look back, instead, he kept his stare on Donovan.

"I want my lawyer." Donovan stated as he glanced upwards, catching sight of Jordan in the vicinity. Jordan remained silent though and waited for his opportunity to speak with his boss, he wasn't going to interrupt, especially if the man in the cell thought he had a chance at getting information, _valuable_ information, regarding the supernatural.

"Your lawyer's dead." The sheriff countered calmly, Donovan took a few seconds to consider what he was going to say next.

"I want another lawyer." Donovan stated matter-of-factly, as though it was the most obvious solution there was. The kid looked to the side and still refused to meet the sheriff's eyes.

"I know you saw something." The sheriff pressed and kept his eyes trained on Donovan, not giving him any sort of satisfaction of looking away. If this was some sort of intimidation tactic, Jordan wasn't sure it was working. "Tracy killed her father and badly wounded two officers, one girl against three grown men. No matter…how unbelievable you think it's going to sound, I promise you can tell me."

"I like that tone of voice, Sheriff." Donovan shot back and smirked in a way that made Jordan feel uncomfortable. "It's nice, makes you seem like someone who wants to help."

Without rhyme or reason, Donovan's face grimaced in pain and his hand immediately came up, his fingertips pressing against his scalp. He flattened his palm over his ear and let out a soft groan, whatever was going on with the kid was weird, even by the supernatural standards, and Jordan was starting to think that maybe Donovan was more dangerous than anyone believed.

The more he studied the kid in the cell, the more his fellow deputy's words struck him: Donovan had wanted to be a deputy himself and the idea of someone as brash and aggressive as the kid sitting in front of the sheriff at that very minute working alongside Jordan didn't sit well with him. He couldn't imagine what sort of law enforcement officer he might've been but the image of Haigh immediately came to the front of his mind.

As if Beacon Hills really needed another Deputy Haigh protecting it, that thought alone was terrifying. On the other hand, Jordan couldn't exactly picture Donovan zip tying his hands to the steering wheel of a cruiser before lighting everything, including him, on fire, so maybe the idea of Donovan being a deputy wasn't _quite_ as bad as Haigh after all, that didn't mean it suddenly seemed okay.

After a few seconds of him covering his ears, Donovan looked up, finally looking at the sheriff sitting in front of him. He opened his mouth wide, sucked in a breath and spoke, his words loud and clear.

"I want a new lawyer."

Jordan watched as the sheriff let out a sigh and dropped his head in frustration. Whatever he was trying to get out of the kid wasn't happening and it was very apparent that he had tried his hardest. Donovan wasn't budging though and much to Jordan's dismay, the sheriff stood up straight, readying himself to walk out of the cell.

Jordan intercepted him before he could get through the door, hell maybe Donovan needed to hear what he was going to say, maybe it might scare the kid into talking about what he had seen, or what he had been through the night before. As much as he didn't like the kid in the cell, he figured that it wasn't fair, no one deserved to be a part of a brutal attack resulting in the death of the lawyer who had been trying to defend him.

"I've got an answer to why we couldn't find Tracy last night." Jordan stated, lifting his hand up to stop the sheriff dead in his track. "She was in the hospital."

"Doing what?" The sheriff asked right back.

"Killing her psychiatrist." Jordan answered and the mental picture of Ryan and the perplexed look on her face that she had the night before crossed his mind. What would she have been like if she had actually been working the night before? Would she have seen anything, would she have gotten involved, or would he have been called to the hospital so that he could coax her out of the closet again?

Having Ryan working the day shift was much easier for him too and not just for her mental health. He could go to work in the evenings, or even through the night, and know that she was at home, where she wouldn't have to witness evil, grotesque slaughters, or teenagers feasting on deputies, no, at home she would be safe.

The sheriff took a step out of the cell and turned sideways, leading Jordan away as the comforting sound of the cell door closing sounded out in the room. Jordan continued to look at the sheriff, waiting for his next instruction but also hoping that it wouldn't be too big of a task. He wanted to get home, he wanted to get there before Ryan had to leave for the evening shift, and the more time he spent at work, the less likely that was going to be. That being said though, he wasn't going to just leave the sheriff high and dry, he was going to do whatever he could to get to the bottom of the Stewarts.

"Let Scott know, but tell him I don't want them getting into it yet." The sheriff instructed in a low voice, clearly not wanting anyone, especially Donovan, to hear what he was saying.

"Should we be putting him on the payroll?" Jordan replied and even though it sounded sort of like a joke, he wasn't entirely being funny.

The sheriff let out a loud sigh and shook his head, "I'm starting to wonder."

Without waiting for another second, he split away from the sheriff and headed back to his desk. He would certainly call up Scott and let him know what they had found but first, he was going to call Ryan and let her know what had really happened at the hospital last night.

He was worried about her, he always worried about her when she was at work, but this was different. During the day shift, bad things didn't tend to happen as much as they did when the sun went down and normally that's when Ryan would be working, but today was different, today she was working in the evening.

Sitting down at his desk, Jordan let out a breath and picked up his phone, quickly dialing the familiar number. He squeezed the phone between his ear and his shoulder and grabbed a pen off the surface of his desk. Without thinking too much, he began doodling on the piece of paper within his reach, waiting for her to answer.

When the phone was picked up on the other end, he didn't hear anyone say anything, he just heard muffled noises, well that was weird, did that mean something was going on at the house? Was Ryan in danger?

So much for him thinking that her being at home was a good thing.

Immediately straightening up in his chair, he dropped the pen and grabbed the phone, holding it against his ear instead of having it trapped between his head and shoulder.

"Hello?" He called out, trying to keep his voice sounding normal instead of worried, like he felt. "Ryan?"

A giggle sounded out over the line and Jordan let out a sigh of relief before Kylie came on the line.

"Hi Jordan!" She squealed and that's when he heard it, Ryan hollering for her in the background and telling her to 'give the phone back'.

"Where's your mom?" Jordan asked instantly and Kylie let out a shriek of laughter.

"She's here."

Jordan went to open his mouth again but he was distracted by Ryan's firm voice demanding that Kylie hand the phone over. He could tell by her tone that she wasn't exactly having fun at that moment, but then again, Kylie was known to get into moods where she was basically the devil. Thankfully most of those moods happened with Ryan and not him, but he had definitely experienced his fair share of grumpy Kylie.

"Hello?" Jordan cocked his head to the side in confusion as the line went quiet. He kept listening and when Ryan finally came on the line, she let out a growl. "Hey, whoa, what's going on?"

"I could ask you the same thing, aren't you at work?" She countered.

"Uh yeah, I am, I found out some things about that murder, the one at the hospital."

"Like what?" She sounded less angry at his statement and even the background noise, which consisted mostly of Kylie squawking and laughing, died down. He didn't have to see her face to know that she had given Kylie 'the look', the very look that meant whatever fun the little girl thought she was having was over, it was serious time.

"I want you to be careful okay, if you see Tracy Stewart-"

"That girl who's house you went to watch over?" Ryan cut in.

"That's her."

"She did that?" Ryan gasped. "She's a teenager!"

"She's not…" Jordan lowered his voice and stole a quick glance around the room, making sure no one was paying him any attention. "She's not normal."

"So she's a supernatural creature too?" Ryan's voice was high pitched, clearly signifying that she was freaking out, or at least, she was _starting_ to freak out. "Jesus Christ, how many of you are there?"

"Just, if you happen to see her while you're at work, stay away from her."

"Right, okay, I'll just go find my best friend the closet and barricade myself in there." She spat back at him. "Oh my god, Jordan what the heck is going on?"

"Just promise me that you'll stay away from her if you see her…uh, I'll text you a picture so that you know who you're looking for."

Jordan produced his cell phone from his pocket, pulled Tracy Stewart's picture onto the screen and then promptly texted Ryan the picture. She waited quietly on the other end of the line as he did exactly what he had told her he was going to do.

"Okay, I got it." Ryan let out a soft sigh. "Can I show it to the others?"

"Yes!" Jordan smiled at her question. She was quick to figure things out, so quick that he didn't even have to ask her. "Have each other's backs tonight."

"Always do."

"And be careful." Jordan threw out.

"You too." She countered, another soft sigh escaping over her lips. "I've got to go deal with Kylie okay? I love you."

"I love you too." Jordan continued smiling and as soon as she had said her goodbye, he hung up the phone and looked at the picture of Tracy Stewart staring back at him from the screen on his cell phone.

Without putting it off anymore, he picked the phone back up and started dialing Scott McCall's phone number. The two of them had quite a bit to talk about.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 **Jordan seems to be acting more like the man Ryan deserves, right? What do you guys think?  
**

 **I love getting feedback and you guys are always so kind with your reviews! Thank you!**

 **anime7lover78861: A baby hellhound indeed! I doubt Jordan would get jealous of Ryan and another man, but if he did, it's not like he'd have a solid argument against it considering all the time he spends with Lydia lol**

 **DJDragon1: Huh well, I guess I could take your suggestion into consideration ;) Lydia will definitely get what's coming to her, Ryan doesn't just let everything slide.**

 **poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Yay! Thank you!**

 **sarahmichellegellarfan1: I'm so glad you loved it! Thanks!**


	54. Chapter 54

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 54:_**

"Police stuff! Police stuff!" Kylie chanted and ran on ahead of Jordan, rushing up the sidewalk to the front of his old place.

He hadn't wanted to just get rid of his apartment once he had found out that he wasn't entirely human, no, he had decided rather quickly that he wanted a place where he could be alone in the event that he had accidentally harmed either of the Sloane girls. This particular visit though, with Kylie in tow, wasn't because of anything that had happened, or anything that he thought might happen, no this visit was purely because Kylie had brought up her dad's police academy t-shirt again.

Jordan had mentioned that he might have another t-shirt or two stowed away at his apartment and Kylie was all too quick to ask if they could go and look. Jordan wasn't about to say no to her, plus it gave the two of them something to do instead of just going back home and playing for the rest of the night. He was hoping that the trip, and the excitement caused because of it, would be enough to tucker her out, Jordan was tired himself and lying down and going to sleep was starting to look better and better with each passing minute.

"Jordan hurry please!" She called out and stopped moving on the sidewalk. She turned to look at him and planted her hands on her hips before letting out a low growl. "You walk too slow."

He chuckled at her words and jogged to catch up with her, taking hold of her hand when he reached her. She latched right onto him and walked along beside him, the two of them reaching the front entrance to the building. Producing the key, Jordan unlocked the door and opened it, ushering her inside before pausing to make sure that the door was securely shut behind him.

Having not let go of her hand, the two of them stayed walking side by side as he started mounting the stairs, one at a time, letting her remain on the same pace as him. As soon as they reached the floor that his apartment was located on, he let go of her hand and she took off for the end of the hallway, stopping once she was standing in front of his door.

"Come on!" She cried out to him and waved her hands in the air in a desperate attempt to get him to move faster.

Jordan grinned at her and slowed his pace down instead, literally dragging his feet as he sauntered closer to her. She let out a whine and flopped down onto the floor, sitting there with her back against the door and burying her face into her hands in frustration. Once she let out a low growl, he broke out into a jog, stopping only once he was standing over her.

She tipped her head back and reached up for him, Jordan ignoring her for the time being as he slipped the appropriate key into the lock and freed the door. Then he bent down, lifted her up, situated her against his hip and headed inside, setting her down on the couch when he finally reached the living room.

He wandered back to the door and shut it behind him, throwing the bolt across for extra security. As soon as he had his undivided attention on Kylie, she beamed up at him and without her having to ask, he waved her forward, motioning for her to follow him into his bedroom.

"Police stuff now?" She questioned and marched along right behind him, her hands reaching out and brushing against his hip. He flipped the light on in his bedroom and took a look around, somewhat missing the time when he had lived in this exact place. He loved living with Ryan and Kylie, there was no doubt that it was where he wanted to be, but the apartment had been good to him and sometimes, rarely but on occasion, he missed having his own privacy.

"Hang on, I have to remember where I put it." He replied and Kylie scrambled over to the end of the bed. She grabbed the covers and tried to haul herself up onto the mattress, Jordan having to come up behind her and give her a boost so that she could get up. Once she was on the bed, she walked right up to the pillows and flopped down right in the middle of them all.

"Is it in the closet?" She asked and smacked the tops of the pillows with her palms. "Or maybe under the bed?"

"It might be in the closet." Jordan answered and wandered over to the closed closet door. He grabbed the handle and pulled it open, then he looked up on the shelf above and spotted the very box that he was looking for. Careful as he did so, he grabbed the sides of the box and wiggled it free, pulling it down from above him and cradling it against his chest.

When he had the box securely in his grasp, he sauntered over to the bed and gingerly set it down on the end, a few feet away from Kylie, who didn't move and instead, stared at the box with a wondrous expression on her face. Jordan smiled at her and promptly pulled the lid off, dropping to the floor next to him, and that's when Kylie finally moved. She made her way onto her hands and knees and crawled down the length of the bed, coming to stop on the opposite side of the box as Jordan and sitting on her knees.

"Police stuff." She whispered, curling her fingers around the top edge of the box. "Lots of police stuff."

"Yeah, it is quite a bit." Jordan nodded his agreement and grabbed hold of the first item in the box. He pulled it upwards and let it unfold in his grip, letting her take in the full sight of the jacket that he had got at the academy. "I think some of it might be my military stuff too though."

"Military?" She quipped, reaching her hands out and running her fingertips down the front of the jacket. "What's a military?"

"It's…well it's sort of like a police man, except instead of just staying in the city, people in the military get sent out to other places." Jordan explained to the best of his ability considering he was talking to a little girl.

"Like Canada?"

He laughed at her but shook his head, "well, I guess yeah, but more to places across the ocean."

"Oh." She stared up at him, her eyes wide and full of wonder yet again. "Did you get to go across the ocean?"

Jordan let out a sigh and set the jacket down on the bed beside the box. Kylie straightened up and watched as he lowered himself down to sit next to her, reaching into the box and grabbing a hat with the academy emblem on the front.

"I did."

"Where?" She gasped.

"Afghanistan mostly." He answered and set the hat on her head. It flopped down and covered nearly half of her face, eliciting a giggle from her in the process. He lifted it back up, adjusted the strap across the back and set it back down on her head, this time it stayed up, leaving her eyes unobstructed. "A little big but we can always save it for when you're bigger."

"Oh yes please! Can we do that?" She looked up at him with a grin on her face. "I'll grow up big won't I?"

He gave her a nod, watching as she lifted the hat off of her head and gently set it down on top of the jacket. Without another word between them, he reached back into the box and pulled out one of the t-shirts that he had gotten when he had joined the military, it looked much like the one that he had given her before from his days in the police academy, only this shirt was a faded army green colour.

"You can have this now though." Jordan handed it to her and Kylie was quick to attempt to pull it on overtop of her clothes. Once he noticed she was struggling a little bit with the extra material, he helped her slip her arms into the sleeves and then made sure that her head popped through the neck hole.

The shirt hung on her like a dress and he couldn't help but smile at her, she absolutely adored him and there wasn't anything in the world that was going to hurt her, so long as she had him and Ryan around.

"I'm never taking it off." She proclaimed, running her hands up and down the front of the shirt. She grabbed the bottom hem and waved her hands back and forth, sending the material into motion. "Thank you very much."

Jordan cautiously reached a hand out and readjusted the material on her shoulder, then he folded up the sleeves so that they didn't hang down past her elbows. She let go of the shirt and let him take hold of the bottom of it, fidgeting as he tied it into a knot so that the shirt resided just below her waist instead of past her knees.

"Looks good on you." He smiled and she scrambled to her feet, spinning on the bed to give him a full view of the shirt. As soon as she was facing him again, she fell into his chest and hugged him tight, his arms immediately coming right back around her as he held her. "Come on, there's a few more things in the box, maybe we can find you another shirt."

"Okay." She murmured but held on to him for a few more seconds before peeling away from him. Jordan ran his hand down her back and grabbed the next item in the box. When he let it unfold, he couldn't help but smile at yet another of his police academy t-shirts.

Without question, he handed it to Kylie, who hugged it against her chest, nuzzling her cheek against the material. He shook his head at her in amusement but never stopped watching her hold on to his shirt. It wasn't until she let out a giant yawn that he even bothered to look at the time and when he did, he stiffened. It was getting pretty late and Jordan still had to get Kylie home and ready for bed, but he didn't want to leave just yet.

"What do you say we go lay down on the couch for a little bit?" Jordan offered, pulling her attention away from the shirt for a few seconds as she studied his face. She reluctantly loosened her grip on the shirt and handed it back to him with a sad expression on her face, but Jordan gently pushed it back towards her.

"You can keep that one too."

"Yeah?" Her eyes widened as she smiled and Jordan couldn't help but wonder how the little girl had been when she was around her father.

He figured she was much too young to remember much about Cole, if she remembered anything at all, and suddenly he felt almost honoured to be a part of her life at the current moment. From the things that Ryan said and the things that he's heard around town, he knew that Cole was nothing but a straight-shooting, one of a kind, guy.

"It's yours." Jordan nodded and she hugged it against her chest yet again, this time though, she moved towards him and leaned against him too, letting his one arm come across her shoulders. "Come on, let's go lay down."

"Cuddle time!" She giggled and let Jordan take her in his hold. He stood up off the bed and situated her against his hip, the t-shirt still in her hand while the one that she had been wearing stayed on her upper body.

He wandered out of his bedroom, flipping the light off as they passed, and then headed right for the couch, dropping down to sit on the edge before letting go of Kylie, who scrambled onto the cushion next to him. Jordan gave her a smile and then laid down on his back, waiting for her to lay down next to him, except she didn't, she carefully lowered herself down and laid on top of him, resting her head on the t-shirt, which she had balled up and stuffed between his chest and her head.

"Comfy?" Jordan asked in a whisper and Kylie let out a contented hum.

"You're warm." She mumbled and wiggled a little bit more against him.

Jordan waited for her to settle in and then he began running his hand up and down her back. He closed his eyes and took in the feeling of how utterly happy he was at that very minute. He had Ryan, who loved him, and Kylie, who adored him, and a decent job. What more could he want?

His mind though, it drifted back to the night that Haigh had zip tied his hands to the steering wheel and lit him on fire. He had survived, somehow, and that's when Lydia's words echoed in his head:

" _It's a little dangerous, yes, but it's not as bad as being lit on fire in a deputy sheriff's car, which by the way, you walked away from unscathed."_

Had he walked away from the ordeal unscathed though? Physically, yes, he had made it out of the inferno alive, but the emotional scars weren't something he liked to admit to. What if something happened to Ryan, or Kylie, what if he had come home still on fire, or what if his nightmare wasn't entirely a nightmare.

He knew that he was different, that he was supernatural, but he still had no idea what he was and that terrified him. What if, one night, he lost control, what if he hurt one of the two girls? He wouldn't be able to live with himself, and that's exactly the reason why he hadn't given up his apartment.

Jordan peered down at Kylie, who's eyes were shut, her breathing even and he knew that she had fallen asleep against his chest. Without moving too much, he reached over to the table near the couch and grabbed hold of the deck of playing cards that resided there. He freed a few of the cards and looked for the one in particular that he wanted, yes, the queen of diamonds.

Staring at it, holding it in one hand, while he ran his other hand up and down Kylie's back, his mind drifted between the night that Lydia had showed up at the station with her lighter and the nightmare that he still had. He was scared of himself and he knew that he should at least talk to Ryan about what he was going through, but he didn't want to put any more stress on her.

She was struggling enough with the existence of the supernatural without his fears of what he might, or might not, do. Jordan flipped the card over in his fingers and stole another look down at Kylie, who was sound asleep, a peaceful expression on her face. She was so young, so trusting that he'd never hurt her, but Jordan wasn't as confident in himself. The idea of hurting anyone, especially Ryan or Kylie, wasn't something he took lightly.

Lydia's words rung through his head yet again, followed by his own: _I only know one trick and it's with a playing card_.

He flipped the card over a couple more times, taking in the sight of the queen of diamonds looking at him. He flipped it so that he was looking at the back, images of the lighter's flame against his skin filling his mind. This time, when he flipped the card back over, the face on the queen of diamonds was scorched, blackened by the heat.

He held his breath, set the cards down on the surface of the table and let his palm gently fall against Kylie's head. He ran his fingers through her soft blonde hair and found himself wondering if he'd ever feel like he could completely trust himself.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Being back on nights had Ryan more on edge than she had originally figured. It wasn't that she was expecting bad things to happen but lately, especially after the six month lull in weird things happening, she figured it was about time that she came face to face with yet another bizarre incident, or crazy supernatural creature. Jordan had Kylie for the night, which meant that she could at least believe that her little girl would be okay either way, after all, Jordan had sworn to keep Kylie, as well as Ryan herself, safe.

But that didn't mean Ryan wasn't still a little nervous, especially considering Jordan wasn't entirely human. No one seemed to have any idea what he was in the supernatural sense, which only served as a reminder to Ryan that there were too many unknowns surrounding the man she loved and as much as she wanted to think that it didn't effect things, she knew better.

He had been targeted before, when the Dead Pool was floating around Beacon Hills, and even if that whole ordeal was over, did it mean that Jordan was safe, that he was free from others who would want to hunt him down? Ryan had concluded that until someone figured out exactly what Jordan was, then no one near him was truly safe, however, she knew that if someone aside from Jordan tried to harm Kylie, that he'd go down fighting, and that was enough to soothe her while she wandered through the halls at work.

It had been a relatively slow night for the most part and Ryan had had a chance to chat with Melissa, who had managed to pick up part of another nurse's shift in order to make a little extra money. The two of them worked well together and Ryan loved having the older woman as a friend, especially considering Melissa McCall knew all about the supernatural, just like Ryan did.

The last time she had run into Melissa on her shift though had been a while ago and now Ryan, who was growing a little restless without having someone to talk to, or someone to joke with, was finding herself concerned. Things were quiet, too quiet, and her friend wasn't anywhere to be seen.

Without hesitating for a second, Ryan made her way towards the front desk, hoping to gain some insight into where she would be able to find Melissa. The desk clerk would have to know something, right? Approaching the lady sitting behind the desk, a different lady than the one who had been working the night the psychiatrist was mauled, Ryan threw a smile onto her face, leaned against the edge of the desk with her elbows and waited patiently for her to acknowledge her standing there.

"How's it going Sloane?" The lady asked without tearing her eyes off the computer screen in front of her, clearly she was busy trying to catch up on her work, most likely having fallen behind from the night of the murder. "It's been a while since I've seen you around."

"That's because I haven't worked anything other than a day shift in months." Ryan teased in response. "Aside from those nights where everyone available gets called in of course."

"Ah yes, and even those nights I haven't seen you, but I'll account that to the fact that we're so insanely busy during those times." Finally the desk clerk tore her eyes off the screen and tossed a smile in Ryan's direction. "What can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if you've seen Melissa around, I can't find her." Ryan stated and crossed her arms over her chest. The lady behind the desk glanced up and down the hall but looked right back at Ryan, shaking her head.

"Last I saw her, she was headed down towards the ambulance entrance. Some girl was coming in-"

"What girl?" Ryan's eyes widened at the word 'girl' and fear gripped her, hard. Girl could mean anyone at all, including her own daughter. If this emergency had something to do with Kylie-

"Uh, Martin…Lydia Martin." The clerk broke into Ryan's train of thought and her first response was to let out a sigh of relief. Without thinking too much about it, Ryan gave the desk clerk a nod of appreciation and took off for the ambulance entrance.

She ran down the halls, hoping to locate Melissa and offer a helping hand, but another part of her wondered how badly Lydia Martin was hurt. She had apparently come in on an ambulance, so did that mean the girl was near death? Fighting for her life? Or something else even? Wasn't Lydia some sort of supernatural creature?

Well if she was, couldn't she heal herself, like Jordan had when he had been set on fire? With question after question flooding through her head, she continued to surge forward, rounding the corner and locking her eyes on Melissa, who was standing in the ambulatory care lobby. There were a bunch of teenagers surrounding her, Stiles Stilinski to one side, the girl she barely recognized as Kira there too, but it was when she noticed the second young man in front of Melissa that Ryan found herself confused.

This guy was new, sure, but there was a certain familiarity around him. He looked like someone that she had once known but that wasn't possible, was it? Where had this kid been that she wouldn't have recognized him right away yet still felt like she was supposed to?

"Melissa?" Ryan spoke out and caught her friend's attention before rushing into a position next to her, Scott and Liam moving to stand on her other side at the same time.

"I was looking for you earlier, could've used your help." Melissa replied quickly and brought her attention back to Stiles. "Stiles-"

"How bad is it?" Stiles questioned before anyone could get another word in.

"Could have been worse. Theo, nice going on that tourniquet, you probably saved her life." Melissa countered and Ryan stole another look at the kid that Melissa had just addressed as Theo. "All right, she's about to go into surgery, so it's going to be a while. Any other supernatural details that I need to know about or do we just stitch her up and hope for the best?"

"What happened?" Ryan piped up and looked between the teenagers and Melissa. Apparently she had missed quite a bit already. She locked her gaze back on Theo, "and who's this kid?"

"I'll explain everything later, I just want to know if there's anything-"

"It was the tail." Kira answered, effectively cutting of Melissa and bringing the focus back to the task at hand: get Lydia fixed up. Well, Ryan could certainly hold her questions until after Melissa had the information she needed, but she certainly wasn't going to let her questions go completely unanswered.

"Yeah, Tracy cut her with the tail, if that makes a difference." Scott added.

"Tail?" Ryan mumbled but didn't dare speak too loudly for fear that she'd distract Melissa any further. As much as Ryan hoped and prayed that Lydia Martin would back up off of Jordan, she certainly didn't want the girl to die, did she?

Shaking her head, she forced the bad thoughts of Lydia passing away to the back of her head. She didn't want the girl to die, she didn't want anyone to die and she attributed her momentary lapse of morals to the fact that she was panicking, she was completely freaking out, plus there were all the insane hormones coursing through her body because of the baby, right? That was all.

"Okay." Melissa nodded her head and turned back down the hall, heading for the operating rooms. Ryan stood in the middle of the hall, frozen, and looked at each and every eager teenage face in front of her.

"What the hell happened?" She threw her hands into the air and let out a growl of frustration, Scott clearing his throat and drawing Ryan's attention towards him. "And who is this kid?"

Ryan pointed an accusatory finger at Theo and widened her eyes in shock.

"Theo Raeken, he used to live here. Maybe you babysat him?" Stiles offered up and she could hear the worry in his tone. Whatever was going on with Lydia was serious. "And well, Tracy Stewart…she uh, she attacked the sheriff's station."

"Was Jordan there?" Ryan snapped and when Stiles just stared at her, she crossed her arms over her chest and sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. "Parrish, was Parrish there?"

She knew that Jordan was babysitting Kylie while she was at work but that didn't mean that he couldn't have decided to stop in at work and show her the ropes, or maybe he even just showed up at the sheriff's station to check in, or grab something, who knew? Ryan certainly didn't but the idea of Jordan being there with Kylie while the place had been attacked had her blood turning to ice. She was cold from fear and panic and as soon as she got an answer, well, she'd either be going to search for Jordan or she'd be heading back to her department to see what else she could do.

"He wasn't." Stiles shook his head. "Not that I saw."

Ryan looked around at the rest of the teenagers expectantly and they all shook their heads no, agreeing with Stiles that Jordan, or Deputy Parrish to them, had not been at the station when Tracy Stewart had attacked.

"Okay, okay good." Ryan nodded her head, turned to look over her shoulder, and let a shiver run down her spine. "I'll go see if I can't find out anything more for you guys regarding Lydia."

"We appreciate that." Scott spoke up.

Ryan gave him another nod of understanding and began walking away. She didn't look back at them, she didn't let her steps falter, instead, she focused on the idea that Jordan and Kylie were okay, they hadn't been there when Tracy attacked, but at that thought, so many more questions came to mind.

Tracy had attacked them, Tracy had a tail, what the hell did that even mean? She sucked in a breath, held it for a few seconds and then blew it out. She'd try to push the questions to the back of her mind but she made a mental note to see if she couldn't get answers at a later time.

Right now, there were bigger things to worry about.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 **A little glimpse into Jordan taking care of Kylie, what did you guys think? And then Ryan being back on nights, if only temporarilty...thoughts?  
**

 **Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you who left a review!**

 **DJDragon1: Always, I love feedback and sometimes your reviews inspire me to add or change content to make the fic a little bit better!**

 **anime7lover78861: Well at this point in time no but that doesn't mean that weird things can't always happen when she's a little further along. Hmm, well I'll see what I can do in regards to Jordan being jealous...**

 **poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Just needed a kick in the pants!**

 **sarahmichellegellarfan1: :D**


	55. Chapter 55

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 55:_**

The house was quiet when Ryan arrived home after the end of her shift, which was both calming and worrisome. Calm because she hoped that meant that Kylie had gone to bed without much of a fight and worrisome because she also didn't hear Jordan; not his voice, not any movements within the house, nothing at all.

Absolute calm had the potential to freak her out just as much as complete chaos, at least in complete chaos, she knew that things were bad but with absolute calm, well who really knew what that meant?

"Jordan?" She called out softly, making sure the front door was locked behind her. She flipped her shoes off with her feet, set her bags on the floor inside the door and made quick work of peeling off her coat, which she promptly hung up on the rack. "Hello?"

"In the living room!"

She had heard him call back to her loud and clear, which meant that at least he wasn't dead, not that she had thought he was, but with the supernatural creeping about in Beacon Hills, she knew it was a possibility, a very real possibility.

Leaving her stuff at the front door, Ryan moved forward and headed right for the living room, stepping over the threshold and spotting Jordan lounging on the couch, his feet propped up on the coffee table, the television remote gripped loosely in his hand and a lazy smile on his face at the sight of her wandering through the doorframe.

She let out a sigh and closed the distance between them, flopping down onto the couch next to him and leaning against his side. He set the remote on his thigh and slipped his arm around her shoulders, hugging her tight against him and feeling her relax, letting the stresses from her shift melt away.

"Was Kylie good?" Ryan asked in a soft whisper, her head against his shoulder.

"She was fine." He answered, still smiling, and Ryan let her eyes fall shut. It was nice having him home when she got there and the way he was dressed, in a pair of jeans and a plain t-shirt, she figured that he wasn't planning on going back out any time soon. Of course, plans changed, but she wasn't going to push it this time. "How was work?"

She sucked in a sharp breath and tipped her head back to meet his eyes, "Lydia Martin came in earlier."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, she was attacked by Tracy Stewart's tail apparently. I didn't really get that many answers but when I left, Lydia was relatively stable." Ryan answered and Jordan just continued to look at her. "Someone said that the attack happened at the sheriff's station."

"Wait, what?" He stiffened next to her and she scooted forward, getting closer to the edge of the couch. "Ryan-"

"Everyone was there for Lydia, I mean- Stiles, Scott, Liam, even Theo, who I barely recognized-"

"You _know_ Theo? As in Theo Raeken?" Jordan turned his body to face her head on and she lifted her hands up, running them anxiously through her hair.

"I think maybe he was around a few times when I babysat, but if it's the same kid that I'm thinking of…well, he gave me the willies."

He simply took in the sight of her, watching her as she grabbed at the ends of her hair, tugging on them slightly. She let go and tucked her hair behind her ears, hoping that it would stay there. When she finally brought her hands together, folding them over one another, Jordan looked at her, waiting for her to meet his gaze.

"Ryan, are you okay?"

"I guess, I mean, yeah, physically. I just…I just didn't know what to think when someone mentioned the sheriff's station. I freaked out, I just thought the worst, you know, like maybe you decided to head into work with Kylie and you and her just happened to be there at the same time that the attack happened. I couldn't deal with that, I hated the idea that I didn't know-"

"Kylie's fine." Jordan cut her off with a reassuring smile. "I'm fine. I would never let anything happen to her."

"But it's possible, like you could've taken her there." Ryan countered and shied away from his gaze. "I know you'd never _let_ anything happen to her but, god, I don't know!"

"Well why don't I promise you right now that I will never take Kylie into the sheriff's station unless there's some sort of emergency requiring me to do so?" Jordan offered and Ryan's hands fell away from her head. She placed them on his thigh, knocking the remote to the cushion next to his legs, and squeezed his flesh with her fingers. "Would that make you feel better?"

She considered his offer and slowly nodded her head. Sure it would make her feel better but was there anywhere that was really safe when it came to her daughter being with Jordan? He was some sort of strange supernatural creature but no one around her knew what, did he have the capability to hurt Kylie without even knowing it?

"I trust you with her, I do, but…" She trailed off and looked down to the floor, taking in the sight of her worn and faded living room carpet. Sucking in a breath, she prepared herself to force the words out that she knew would hurt him. "I don't trust what you _are_."

"What do you mean?" Jordan asked, his voice slow and unsure.

"I mean…god I just…whatever you are, no one seems to know right?" She questioned and he nodded his head yes. "Well, what if what you are is something dangerous? What if what you are isn't something that you can control?"

He stared at her, letting her words sink in but neither one of them made a move to say anything. She had a point, she most definitely had a point, he had seen what could happen when people lost control, he had been in Mexico when Kate Argent and the berserkers had attacked, which meant that Ryan wasn't wrong and she most definitely had every right to feel the way she did about the whole situation.

Jordan didn't know what he was supposed to say to her though. He wanted to believe that he'd never deliberately hurt anyone, especially Kylie and Ryan, he knew that she had a point. No one knew what he was, no one knew what he was really capable of and if he had wound up hurting someone, whether on purpose or by accident, he didn't know what he'd do with himself.

"Ryan I…" He let his sentence hang without finishing it. How could he finish it, what was he supposed to say?

He _could_ argue that she was wrong, that Kylie was perfectly safe with him and that she was too, but that wasn't true. He had no idea what he was capable of doing or not doing and whether or not he stated that he'd never harm her or Kylie, he was very aware that that was something he couldn't actually promise her.

"I still love you, please don't think that me saying that means that I don't, I just want to know what you are, I want to know that you're not going to spontaneously burst into flames or something." Ryan supplied and Jordan slipped his hands around hers, giving each one a reassuring squeeze. "I love you Jordan, so much, okay?"

"I know, I love you too." He bowed his head and when he brought his eyes back up to meet hers, he swallowed the lump forming in his throat. "And you're right, you're absolutely right. You don't trust what I am, and neither do I, so what do we do now?"

"I don't know. I don't want to say that I'm not going to leave Kylie alone with you but honestly, that might be the best bet. Obviously you can still pick her up from the sitter's, or my dad's, but I don't want you to be alone with her for long periods of time."

"You mean like tonight?" He cocked his head to the side and found his mind wandering to the relatively decent evening that he had spent with Kylie. He adored the little girl, almost thought of her as his own, but Ryan's solution wasn't too far off from what he might've suggested to her.

"I, uh, yeah I guess. I'll talk to my dad- shit, he'll be gone for a few days, okay, uh well, maybe…"

"We can figure this out." Jordan spoke up. "You managed on your own before I showed up, you can manage now without me too, right?"

"Yes." She nodded her head. "I can manage without you."

"That sounds so sad." He remarked and smiled in her direction. She looked down at their hands and sucked in a breath, shaking her head at the whole thing. The idea of having to be a single mom again while she had a perfectly capable man to help her, was sad. She was relatively fine dealing with Kylie on her own, but wasn't one of the benefits of having Jordan in their lives that he could also help deal with Kylie?

"It's what we have to do, at least until we know more about what you are." Ryan pointed out. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, no," he freed his hand from hers and used his index finger to gingerly bring her head up so that their eyes met, "you have nothing to be sorry for, okay? You're her mom, you do what's best for her, how can I be mad about that?"

"I guess." She murmured. "It still sucks though."

Jordan leaned forward, shifted on the couch and brought her closer to him as she snuggled against his side. He felt her relax into his grip and when she let out a soft sigh, he dropped a kiss against the top of her head. Without saying a word to each other, he knew what she was feeling, it did suck, it sucked a lot, but if not being alone with Kylie meant that the little girl would be safe, then that's what he was going to do.

He didn't trust himself, Ryan didn't trust him, and if something had ever happened to Kylie because of him, well, Jordan didn't want to think about it. He wanted Kylie to be safe, he wanted Ryan to feel protected, and even if their solution wasn't ideal, it was what was going to have to be done.

"Are we going to tell Kylie?" Jordan asked in a whisper.

"I don't know. Maybe if she asks?"

"That sounds fair."

Ryan nuzzled her nose against his shoulder and let her head settle against him. She blew out an anxious breath and let her eyes fall shut. Tomorrow was a new day, a new day that consisted of going to the hospital to see the doctor. As if things between her and Jordan weren't already complex enough with just Kylie, Ryan didn't want to think about how terrified she'd be leaving a newborn baby alone with Jordan, even if it was _his_ child.

"Jordan?" She opened her eyes and spoke his name softly, just barely catching his attention. He looked down at her with a smile on his face and she tensed the slightest little bit. "No matter what you are, it's never going to change how I feel about you."

"Even if I'm-"

"You could be a man eating shark and it wouldn't matter." She cut him off and even though her words came out in a teasing tone, he knew that she was completely serious.

"I mean, maybe we'd have to consider getting an aquarium installed if that was the case." He joked and she rolled her eyes in response. "I guess the bathtub might suffice."

"There's no way you're going to live in my bathtub, I like using it too much." She snorted in amusement. "But yes, I would definitely get an aquarium for you if you happened to be a man eating shark."

All he could do was laugh at her.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

There were way too many things lingering on Ryan's mind to allow her to fall asleep easily, which is precisely why she found herself still awake just after midnight. Part of her was thinking about what she had found out at the hospital; having seen Lydia Martin come into the emergency department in the state that she was in made everything so much more real. There _had_ been a lull, there was definitely a break in weird things happening and Ryan had managed to pull herself together, for the most part, but seeing Lydia, wounded and fading, had brought everything storming back.

Was this how things were going to go from now on? Would she forever be battling supernatural demons that she didn't understand?

Certainly, those questions were high on the priority list in her mind, but the one thing that was weighing even heavier on her mind was the fact that she was pregnant, and the father was some unknown creature.

Would their baby be the same thing as Jordan? Would her own body change because of the fact that she might be carrying a supernatural child within her?

Rolling onto her back, she felt the weight of his arm resting on her waist, but what she was really hoping to do was to see if he was out cold. She knew how tired both of them were and while he had managed to drift off into dreamland, she was still struggling to calm herself down enough to let sleep take over.

"Jordan?" She whispered and carefully moved her hand up, running her fingertips across his bare chest. She held her breath, praying that he didn't move, and when he didn't, she blew the breath out and tried to slip away.

It wasn't as difficult as she had figured, when she moved to the edge of the bed, his arm simply fell away from her and when her feet were firmly on the ground, she stole another look at the man sleeping next to her.

There was a serene look on his face, a calm running over him, and she couldn't help but smile at the sight. Jordan was perfect for her, in every single way, and if she could only get some answers to her lingering questions, then maybe she'd be able to sleep easy beside him. Until then though, she had to be on the lookout, she had to protect her and Kylie, even if that meant that she had to protect them both from Jordan.

It did bother her a little bit, that she was scared of the man she loved, but she knew that _if_ he ever tried to hurt her, or Kylie, that it wouldn't be because he wanted to. She had gained enough information on the supernatural from the internet, and she had seen enough movies, to figure out that if someone was supernatural, if someone had more abilities than the average person, they were a target for things much more sinister.

She didn't like that idea, but knowing that he'd only hurt them if some higher power willed it did make her feel a little better. This was precisely the reason why Jordan had kept his apartment, though barely furnished, and Ryan knew that even if it wasn't ideal, she was glad to have a back-up place for him to stay if things did happen to go awry.

Holding her breath and moving as stealthily as she could, she stood up, flipped the edge of the covers up, nabbed her cell phone off the nightstand and tiptoed to the door of the bedroom. It was shut, but not all the way, and Ryan carefully opened it slowly, praying that it didn't creak, and when it was ajar enough for her to slip through, she did just that, the phone gripped tightly in her hand.

Wandering through the darkened hallway, Ryan was careful not to make too much noise. When she was halfway to the stairs, she loosened her grip on the cell phone and hit the power button, waiting a few seconds before the screen sprang to life, lighting up the hall around her. Ryan glanced down at it and let her eyes fall shut as she second guessed what she was about to do.

It was late, she knew that, and the chances of him picking up the phone were slim, but she had to try. Derek Hale was her only hope and if, by some miracle, he did answer, she was praying that he wouldn't be too upset, after all, it was late and any other person would be sleeping, or at the very least, settling in for the night.

Pausing outside of Kylie's door to peek in and check on her, Ryan leaned against the doorframe and tried to make out the silhouette of her baby girl, which was easy considering the girl still slept with a nightlight. Ryan had considered a nightlight for herself on more than one occasion, especially considering the bad things that continued to happen around her, but having Jordan next to her was enough and when she had slept on the couch, the light filtering in from the streetlamps was enough to soothe her.

Studying Kylie's sleeping form, the bear that Jordan had gotten her clutched tightly against her chest, Ryan couldn't help but smile. This darling little girl was hers and there wasn't anything that would make her feel anything but love for Kylie, if she could just get herself pulled together, then Ryan would focus on Kylie until the baby came.

With a slight shake of her head, Ryan pushed herself away from the doorframe and turned towards the stairs, lightly stepping through the carpeted hallway and grabbing the edge of the bannister with her free hand. She stole another glance at the cell phone in her hand and fought off the urge to sigh.

Was she really going to do this? Was she really going to call Derek Hale in the middle of the night and ask him what the chances were of passing on the supernatural gene to children?

In all honesty, what other choice did she have?

If she waited until the next day, she'd have Kylie with her until the appointment and she didn't want to make the call in front of Kylie, nor did she want to have the conversation with him in the car, or on the way into the appointment. She didn't want Jordan to know about the phone call either because that would mean he'd find out how truly terrified she was of having a supernatural baby, plus he still didn't even know she was pregnant.

As quietly and as carefully as she could, she made her way down the stairs, taking them one at a time to lower the risk of falling. Even with the light from her cell phone, it was still dark and one wrong move could mean disaster. She didn't want to get caught, she didn't want to have to explain to anyone why she was sneaking down the stairs, she just wanted to get to the basement, make the call and hope that she'd get an answer, from Derek and for her question.

As soon as her feet hit the stable ground of the main floor of her house, she glanced back up the stairs and listened for any sort of movement. There was nothing but silence and Ryan pushed forward, tiptoeing towards the door to the basement. When her hand wrapped around the knob, she gave it a twist and freed it, letting it open without making too much noise. Once she could manage to get herself through, she stepped onto the top of the basement stairs and shut the door, leaving a couple inches of space between the door and the frame.

Without hesitating for another second, Ryan flipped the light switch on the wall beside her and gingerly descended the stairs, still being very quiet. When she reached the base of the stairs, she took a look around and moved over to the corner of the room where an old arm chair resided, one that she hadn't had a place to put anywhere else, and flopped down into it.

Looking at the phone one last time, she searched through her contacts until she located the very one she was looking for before hitting the call button. With the phone pressed against her ear, she waited patiently, listening to it ringing and hoping someone would answer on the other end. After the call though, she'd have to make her way back up the stairs, maybe stop at the bathroom so that she had a solid alibi for her whereabouts, and then head back to bed but that was the easy part, the hard part was making the actual phone call.

"Hello?"

His voice was husky and it wasn't hard for her to tell that he had most likely been sleeping, hell, everyone she knew was sleeping.

"Derek?" She whispered into the phone and silently prayed that no one would hear her talking. She was all the way in the basement, which meant chances of that were slim, but maybe whatever Jordan was had super hearing. It was definitely possible. "Derek Hale?"

"Yeah, uh, who's-"

"It's Ryan." She cut him off and heard him suck in a breath. Either he recognized her and he was going to talk to her or he was getting ready to yell at her.

"Is everything okay?" He asked, surprising her with how calm he sounded. She could only imagine how she'd react if someone called her in the middle of the night.

"Um, well…I don't know." She answered honestly, thoughts of what she was dealing with flooding her mind. "I'm uh…this is hard for me to say but…god damn."

"Ryan, what's going on?" Derek pressed and she sucked in a breath before blowing it right back out.

"So hypothetically, if you fathered a child, what do you think the chances would be of that child being a werewolf?" Ryan managed to get the words out, hoping that he didn't think she was absolutely crazy for calling him up to ask him such an absurd question.

"What's this about?"

"Supernatural geneticism."

"You called me to ask me-"

"Yes. See, I'm pregnant."

The line fell silent and she wondered if he had simply hung up on her. Before she had a chance to call out to him, she heard him let out a low whistle. He hadn't hung up on her, no, he was still there, he was still on the phone and she was going to wait for as long as she had to until he spoke again.

"Congratulations." He murmured. "You're still with that deputy then I assume?"

"Jordan, yeah." She nodded her head, even though she knew he couldn't see her.

"Okay, I get it. And you want to know if your baby will be like him, is that right?" Derek quipped. She was thankful that he sounded much more awake versus a few seconds ago, that meant that he was willing to hear her out at least and not just hang up on her. Maybe he could hear the fear in her voice, maybe he was thinking back to the time that he had told Jordan to tell her that she could call him anytime, either way, it didn't matter, so long as Derek was still talking with her.

"Yes, exactly." She squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath, waiting for his answer, for him to tell him everything she wanted to know.

"I guess chances are good." Derek said. "I can't tell you anything for certain but it's definitely possible."

"So my baby could potentially spontaneously combust-"

"Generally supernatural abilities remain latent for the first few years." Derek cut her off with a chuckle. Was he really laughing at her? Was this actually funny to him? "Look Ryan, nothing's going to happen until that kid is born, I can promise you that."

"But how?"

"Do you trust me?" He breathed the words out.

She considered his question and took her bottom lip in between her teeth while she thought about her answer. After a few seconds, she let out a soft sigh.

"I do." She said.

"You'll be fine, your baby will be fine. Stop worrying right now and call me up when this baby is born, maybe I can help more then, but until that point, you have to trust me when I say that nothing will happen until then." Derek explained.

"Okay." She nodded her head again. "Okay, thank you for answering."

"Right, well I guess I did say you could call me any time." He let out another chuckle and she felt a small smile tugging at her lips. "Maybe next time you could wait until the sun's up at least?"

"I'll try." She gave him a chuckle in response. "Thanks Derek."

"No problem. I'll, uh, talk to you later then."

"Okay." She breathed out a sigh of relief. "Goodbye."

"Good night." He countered and without giving her another chance to say anything, he ended the call. She hesitantly pulled the phone away from her ear, clutched it in her hand and let out another sigh.

Well he certainly answered some of her questions and his words had provided her with a little bit of comfort, but what would happen after the baby was born?

Trying to force those fears to the back of her mind, she rose up from the chair, headed for the stairs and planned her route back to the bedroom, which consisted of a stop in the bathroom to pee.

Just as quietly as she had descended the stairs, she headed back up, flipping the light off on her way by and closing the basement door shut tight behind her. She then tiptoed up the second set of stairs and when she reached the landing, she headed for Kylie's room, poking her head in once again and checking on her baby girl. Without putting it off any longer, she disappeared into the bathroom, turned her phone off and took care of business.

When she finally crawled back into bed next to Jordan, she set her phone back on the nightstand and curled up against his side, a smile taking over her face as he stirred in his sleep, his arm coming around her waist and holding her tight. She snuggled into his embrace and set her palm on his chest, directly over his heart.

"I love you." She whispered and felt him grip her that extra little bit tighter.

"I love you too." Came his drowsy reply.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 **Things are starting to get a little complicated for the two of them huh? And how about Ryan reaching out to Derek, did you guys like that?**

 **As for when she'll tell Jordan, it'll happen soon, don't you worry, she'll definitely be telling him. How are you guys hoping he reacts top the baby news?**

 **Thank you to everyone who reviewed as well as everyone that read the last chapter!**

 **DJDragon1: I always love getting feedback and whether or not I use the ideas I receive, I always consider each and every one :)**

 **poorxbrokexcollegexkid: I try to keep Kylie adorable and not too bratty but if she ever crosses that line, you just let me know :)**


	56. Chapter 56

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 56:_**

Handing Kylie off to the babysitter had been easy, driving to the hospital and finding a place to park had been easy, walking inside and meeting up with the doctor had been easy, but what hadn't been easy was when she was left sitting in the examination room in a paper gown waiting for Doctor Hathcock to return and tell her everything that she already knew.

Over the counter pregnancy tests were terrifyingly accurate, that's what the doctor had said, and while she was going to check Ryan's blood, and urine, to make sure, it was most likely true that she was with child, something that Ryan still wasn't sure she had come to terms with. On one hand, she considered being pregnant a gift, having a baby was something that would always be a good thing in her mind, but there were just way too many unknowns surrounding the pregnancy, and that wasn't even getting in to her fears regarding genetics of the supernatural.

Derek had sated her worries for the time being and she had faith that the words he had said to her were true, but she still feared for what happened once the baby was born. How old would her child be if it started to show signs of being supernatural and what the hell would those signs be?

Would this new baby be playing with Kylie and spontaneously burst into flames, only to survive unscathed while Kylie wound up being the one to get hurt? Was Kylie going to be in danger simply because she was going to be a big sister?

"Miss Sloane." Doctor Hathcock's voice was loud and commanding and Ryan jumped as she strode into the room. "Everything checks out, your bloodwork was fine, and that means that the good news is that you are, in fact, pregnant. Congratulations."

"Thanks." Ryan tried to sound happy, in fact, it wasn't that she was upset, she was just scared, terrified even. Things with Cole had been so simple, he had been human and her pregnancy had been uneventful, but things with Jordan were never uneventful.

He was the kind of guy who could survive being lit on fire, he was the sort of guy that had been attacked by a giant werewolf and made it out alive, no, Jordan wasn't uneventful at all, but that didn't mean she would trade him for anything in the world.

"Did you want to schedule an ultrasound so that we can better date your pregnancy?" The doctor questioned and Ryan sucked in a breath.

"Can I do that later? It's hard to find time to take off."

"Of course, I recommend doing it at soon as you can but for now, we'll start you on the typical prenatal vitamins, something I'm sure you're already familiar with." Doctor Hathcock shot a smile in Ryan's direction and Ryan nodded in response. No, this definitely wasn't her first time being pregnant and while she was more scared than she had been the first time, that didn't mean she wasn't comfortable with the routine.

Things were going to change, she was going to have to start paying more attention to the things she ate, the things she did, even the patients that she treated. Speaking of treating patients, she was also aware that she was going to have to start thinking about maternity leave and then what happens after.

Would Jordan want her to stay off a little longer than the hospital would give her, would she be able to afford it? What about her and Jordan as a couple, did he want this baby or would he object to it the second that she mentioned it to him? He had brought up the idea of having kids with her but that had been months ago and anyone was allowed to change their mind in that period of time.

"Did you have any questions or concerns for right now?" Doctor Hathcock spoke, pulling Ryan out of her own head.

"Uh, no, I think I'm good for _right_ now." Ryan bowed her head. "Thanks for seeing me on such short notice."

"No problem."

"Well still, thanks." Ryan forced a smile in the good doctor's direction. "I'm good to go, right?"

"You are, just remember, get an ultrasound soon okay, and then I'd like to see you back here in a few weeks."

Ryan nodded her head and without making things awkward by hanging around the room, the doctor walked right out, closing the door behind her. Ryan slipped off the edge of the table and nabbed her clothes from the pile on the chair in the corner of the room. Slipping on her underwear, then her jeans, she tucked her arms under the gown and finagled with her bra. Once it was secure, she untied the gown and let it fall to the floor but before she threw it out, she pulled her shirt on, slipped her feet into her socks and then shoved her feet into her shoes.

On her way out of the examination room, she nabbed the paper gown and stuffed it into the garbage can inside the door. Without stopping to talk to anyone, she headed to the front desk on the floor she was currently on and looked at the desk clerk residing there.

"Can I help you?" The desk clerk asked politely and Ryan took her bottom lip in between her teeth, wondering how far she wanted to take what she was about to do. Part of her wanted to peek in on Lydia Martin to see how she was doing, another part of her wanted to give the girl a piece of her mind.

"Would it be possible for you to tell me which room Lydia Martin is in? I was one of the nurses on duty when she came in and I just wanted to see how she's holding up?" Ryan countered, her voice sickly sweet as she tried her hardest to keep her composure. She had just been through a thorough examination, she had found out that she was for sure pregnant and the more she reflected on the day's events, the more she wanted to give Lydia a swift kick, but since that would easily be considered assault, she'd settle for using her words.

"She's down a floor, room 206."

"Thank you." Ryan continued to smile and tossed the clerk a small wave.

Turning towards the stairwell, Ryan held her breath and ran her hands down the front of her abdomen, wondering when exactly she'd start to show. Her plan was to tell Jordan rather quickly but she knew that plans changed, things happen, obstacles got in the way, and so long as she told him before it was obvious, well that didn't sound so bad either.

Pushing the door open, Ryan jogged down the set of stairs to get to the floor below where the lady had told her she'd be able to find Lydia Martin. Pushing through the door at the bottom of the stairs, she looked either way down the hall and figured out which direction room 206 would be located. Her footsteps echoed off the walls of the hallway and before she knew it, she was standing outside of the room that contained Lydia Martin, the root of a lot of her insecurities.

Sucking in a breath, Ryan slipped inside the room and shut the door behind her. She debated flipping the lock but when she pushed the idea of giving the girl a slap to the back of her mind, she realized that maybe leaving the door unlocked was for the better. The possibility that anyone could walk in on them kept Ryan on her toes and she knew that if someone walked in on her attacking the girl in the bed, well, she didn't want to think about how badly that would ruin everything.

"Lydia?" Ryan called out softly to the girl lying in the bed. She took a few steps closer and leaned over her, taking in the sight of her sleeping peacefully. "Hey!"

Waiting for Lydia to stir was becoming rather irritating and before Ryan could think too much about it, she reached out and nudged the girl's arm. Lydia let out a groan at the movement and Ryan stared down at her, waiting for her to open her eyes. When she finally did, Ryan threw a saccharine smile on her face and hoped that she didn't look as crazy as she suddenly felt.

"You?" Lydia murmured, her eyes fluttering shut before opening again.

"Yeah, hi, my name's Ryan, in case you didn't know." Ryan said in a low tone. "You and Jordan Parrish are friends, right?"

"Mmm." Lydia hummed and made a move to sit up but Ryan shook her head.

"You don't have to do that, just listen okay? See Jordan Parrish is my boyfriend, he and I are dating, and we're actually very happy together, do you understand what I'm saying here Lydia?"

"You and Jordan?" Lydia seemed confused but Ryan nodded her head yes, trying to keep this as quiet as she could. She didn't want to cause a scene, she merely wanted to get her point across.

"I'd really appreciate it if you just backed off of him, okay?"

"What do you mean?" Lydia's voice was hoarse and it was easy to see that her wound was still causing her pain. Ryan didn't care though, so long as the girl was still breathing, then she was going to continue with her plan.

"I see the way you look at him, I hear about the things you say and do together, this is a warning to you okay? See, I'm reasonable, you get a warning." Ryan cooed.

"What warning?"

"Jordan's taken and I'd really appreciate it if you didn't spend any one on one time together anymore? Do you understand what I'm saying?" Ryan leaned in a little bit closer and Lydia stared up at her with wide eyes. "If you understand, you have to tell me."

"I…I understand."

"Good." Ryan smiled brightly. "Good, see, I knew you were smart."

She didn't give Lydia a chance to respond, she didn't say another word to the wounded girl, instead, Ryan spun around on her heel and headed for the door, not even bothering to look back. As soon as she stepped out into the hallway, she let out a sigh and closed her eyes. Part of her was thrilled with what she had just done, yes, Lydia now knew that Jordan wasn't a boy that she could play with, he wasn't someone that she could have, he was with Ryan and they were happy. Another part of her tried to shake off what she had just done. It wasn't her, it wasn't something that she'd normally do and maybe the hormones were already starting to get the best of her, or maybe she had learned recently to protect what she loved.

No matter what, it was done and there was no going back. Lydia knew that Ryan wasn't happy with her spending time alone with Jordan, she knew that Jordan wasn't available and maybe now Ryan could rest easy.

When the woman Ryan barely recognized as Lydia's mother strode towards her, she pushed herself off the door and took a few steps towards the woman. Before her mom could get to her room though, Ryan took up a stance in front of her and threw a friendly smile on her face.

"You're that nurse, aren't you?" Lydia's mom smiled back at Ryan. "I appreciate everything that you and the rest of the staff did for my daughter."

"No problem, really." Ryan responded. "I hear about Lydia quite frequently, she spends a lot of time with my boyfriend, maybe you know him, Deputy Parrish?"

"Oh." Lydia's mom looked confused but Ryan wasn't going to stop.

"Yeah, now I don't know about you but if my teenaged daughter was spending time alone with a man his age, well, I just think maybe you should be aware of what's going on is all."

"Are you a mother?" Lydia's mom narrowed her eyes on Ryan and Ryan's smile softened at the thought of Kylie.

"I am and I'd do anything for her." Ryan nodded. "But I wouldn't let her hang out late at night with a man six years older than her."

Lydia's mother cocked her head to the side but Ryan was already taking off down the hall. She had done her part, she had taken care of business and if all went according to plan then Lydia wouldn't be an issue anymore.

It wasn't until she stepped outside into the afternoon sunshine that the audacity of what she had just done hit her. Letting out a sigh of frustration, she made a mental note to be more aware of her emotions, after all, her anger might have just gotten her into a pretty sticky situation, especially if Lydia went right to Jordan and told him everything that she had said.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Gathering eye witness testimony, yes, that's exactly what he had been assigned to do as soon as he had set foot in the station and since the only person he had left to talk to regarding what had happened the night of the attack was Lydia, Jordan took a breath and headed in the direction of her room.

Lydia Martin had been injured, pretty badly from what he had heard, and currently he wasn't entirely looking forward to speaking with her. Ryan constantly lingered on his mind when it came to the teenaged girl, he knew that she was jealous, even if she stated that she wasn't, but he could see it in her eyes. It wasn't like he could blame her though, if she suddenly started meeting up with, or hanging around, a teenaged boy, well Jordan would be jealous himself.

He knew that nothing was going to happen between him and Lydia, at least not on his part, but it was obvious that the young woman was more than just friendly with Jordan, and Ryan picked up on that easily. Call it woman's intuition, or just plain gut instinct, it wasn't hard to see that Lydia thought of him as having the potential to be more than just a friend, while Jordan tried to keep things as much in the friend zone as he possibly could.

That didn't mean that he was going to stop being around Lydia though, not until Ryan flat out gave him the ultimatum that constantly weighed on his mind. He was his own person, he was allowed to do what he wanted to do and if hanging out with Lydia meant that he might be able to figure out what he was, well then that was something he was just going to have to do.

When he wandered into Lydia's hospital room, he found her sound asleep on the hospital bed. While this was preferred to him, he knew that he was eventually going to have to talk to her and since he had been sent to the hospital to gather testimony, he would have to go back to the station if he didn't. Shaking his head, Jordan stepped quietly into the room and locked his eyes on a chair across from the bed. He wandered towards it and lowered himself down onto the seat, nabbing the remote control for the television off the bedside table in the process.

Before he turned the television on though, he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, setting the remote on his thigh as he looked down at the screen. All he wanted to do was call Ryan and hear her voice, he wanted to tell her over and over again that he loved her, but Lydia was still sleeping and he knew that having a conversation in the same room as a sleeping hospital patient was rude.

Instead of dialing her number, he typed out a text message simply saying 'how's the dentist?'. Letting out a soft sigh, Jordan relaxed into the chair and looked up at the blank television screen, waiting to see if Ryan would respond.

The phone vibrated against his palm and when he lifted it up, he spotted the little symbol in the top of the screen signaling that he had a text message. Opening the message, he read over her words.

' _No cavities'_ and she had followed it up with a smiley face.

A smile of his own took up residence on his face and he shook his head in amusement. Typing back another quick text, this time it said 'can't wait to see your pearly white smile when I get home', he gripped the remote tighter and lifted it up, finally hitting the power button. The television screen sprang to life and, with the remote in one hand and his phone in the other, he started looking for something to watch.

After a few minutes of flipping through the channels, and no reply from Ryan, he tucked his phone back into his pocket and let out a soft sigh, scooting to the edge of the chair and stealing a look around the room.

Jordan was expecting more flowers and gifts for the teenaged girl, she did have a lot of close friends after all, but he found none. In fact, the room was rather plain, not that that was a bad thing but he certainly found it a little weird. Maybe her friends hadn't had a chance to visit yet, maybe she had restricted visitation, either way, there was a plausible explanation, one that Jordan could believe.

Turning his attention back to the television, he let his eyes fall shut and his mind immediately drifted to Kylie and Ryan. He adored the two of them, he loved spending time with Kylie and he couldn't wait to see Ryan again any time that he left her. Any time he had a free minute to himself, he always found himself thinking about the girls and his future with them.

Proposing had crossed his mind on more than one occasion but he knew that Ryan wouldn't be ready yet, he knew that she was still dealing with the loss of her first husband and he knew that he could never replace Cole's presence in their life. That wasn't what he was trying to do at all and maybe one day he'd feel like Ryan was ready to move on completely, but until then, he was quite content just being with them.

If the subject of marriage ever came up though, Jordan would jump at the opportunity to ask her as many questions as he could: about him and Ryan, about Kylie and what that would mean for her. Adopting Kylie seemed like a logical thing for him to do but in the forefront of his mind, he knew that he wasn't going to bring it up unless Ryan did first.

Offering to adopt Kylie would follow getting married, which meant that he wasn't going to get ahead of himself just yet. All he wanted was to be with Ryan for as long as he'd be alive and while he was very aware that she loved him too, he knew that taking the next step with her too soon wouldn't be good for anyone involved.

Opening his eyes, he glanced over to the window of the hospital room and took in the sight of the sun shining brightly outside. inhaling a deep breath, Jordan pushed the thoughts of Kylie and Ryan to the back of his mind and focused solely on using the television as a distraction. When he landed on some old kung fu movie, he paused in his flipping of the channels and watched for a few seconds, hoping that maybe if he gave the television a minute or two, there might be something else on when he went to change the channel again.

He heard the soft sigh escaping the girl on the bed behind him, he listened to the movement coming from behind his back and when he finally turned around to look at her, Lydia was awake and looking right back at him. He continued to watch her as she attempted to get herself into a sitting position, which looked almost painful. Jordan could tell by her face that she was tired, most likely still sore, but she was a determined girl, he knew that much for sure.

"What are you doing here?" Lydia asked suddenly, her voice soft and low. He could hear the pain in her tone but didn't dare make a remark about it, he was here on business, officially, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to steal a few minutes for himself while he could, which is precisely why he had picked up the remote to start with.

"Officially, I'm here to gather eyewitness testimony." Jordan answered her with a reassuring smile, hoping that he could keep their conversation cordial yet professional. "Unofficially, I'm trying to find something to watch but the only thing that comes in is this kung fu movie. You like kung fu movies?"

She waited for a few seconds, still shifting on the bed before speaking again, "do you know how to do that?"

Lydia nodded her head up at the television screen and Jordan took a few seconds to take in what she meant. She was asking him if he knew how to do kung fu, she had to be, and the answer to her question was 'sort of'.

He knew how to do a lot of things similar to kung fu but not the actual art of it. He had been trained in the army, taught how to defend himself with weapons and his bare hands. Fighting wasn't anything new to him and he felt that he was quite versed in being able to handle himself.

"I know a little jiu-jitsu." Jordan replied with a nod of his head. "In the army they taught us C.Q.C, close quarters combat."

She looked up at the television screen and took in the sight of the old kung fu movie, Jordan looking at her and never taking his eyes off of her after he too stole a quick glance at the screen one more time. He was waiting for her to keep the conversation going, hoping that it wouldn't take a turn for the worse, and when she met his eyes once more, he tried not to flinch at the determined look on her face. There was a lingering sparkle in her eye that made him a little bit afraid of what she was trying to do with him at that very moment.

"Can you teach me?" Lydia questioned.

"You want to learn jiu-jitsu? Hand-to-hand?" Jordan was a little confused at her request. Didn't she have friends that were werewolves and kitsunes, didn't she have someone else who could teach her what she was asking him to do? Surely Scott would know something, or Stiles, after all, he was the sheriff's son and if Jordan was in the sheriff's shoes then he'd make sure his child knew how to defend himself if he had to.

He was sure that there would be somewhere in town that would offer a self defense class too, or even a brief introduction to some sort of martial art, so why was she asking him, especially after she had just woken up from a sleep that started before she had gone in for surgery? He took in the sight of her, laying there in the hospital bed, and wondered if maybe it was possible that Lydia Martin, the same Lydia Martin that flirted with him and went head on into dangerous situations, was a little scared considering she had been attacked directly.

"I want to learn how to fight. Can you teach me?" Lydia pressed, clearing up any confusion that he might've had. With everything in him, he considered the consequences if he said yes.

Ryan certainly wouldn't like him teaching Lydia jiu-jitsu, especially not all by himself, but surely she would understand the importance of the girl learning how to handle herself. Part of him wondered if maybe he should offer the same thing to Ryan, show her a few moves so that the chances of him finding her locked in a hospital closet, again, decreased greatly.

If Ryan could fight a little bit, wasn't that better than nothing? Surely in a town as dangerous as Beacon Hills, it wouldn't be a total waste of his time to teach his girlfriend a few different ways to kick, punch and defend herself.

Without thinking about it for another second, Jordan answered the girl in front of him but his mind was still locked on the girl he shared a bed with.

"Yeah, I can teach you."

"Yeah?"

Jordan glanced back at the movie on the television and his mind immediately drifted to Ryan. He could use this opportunity as practice, couldn't he? He'd try to teach Lydia all that he knew and whenever she'd show how difficult it was, he'd figure out a better way to show Ryan.

In his head, it was the only way he could justify saying yes to the strawberry blonde in the hospital bed across the room.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 **Here we see Ryan's mean side coming out. Was she too harsh with Lydia or was she not harsh enough?**

 **She'll be telling Jordan about the baby soon guys! How are you** **hoping he reacts to the news?**

 **I very much appreciate every single person who has added this story to their favourites and alerts, and also to those of you who reviewed the last chapter!**

 **DJDragon1: The plan was to end their story at the end of season 5, but who's to say that season 6 might be super fun for the two of them :)**

 **poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Ryan and Derek both seem to need friends their own age eh ;)**


	57. Chapter 57

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 57:_**

Ryan had made dinner for them all, she had put the effort in and made a lovely meal consisting of spaghettis, meatballs and garlic bread. Kylie had insisted on waiting for Jordan before they dug in but when seven o'clock rolled around, Ryan made a remark that it was almost time for bed and if Kylie wanted to skip dinner on account of not having Jordan home, then she was perfectly welcome to.

As expected though, the little girl had gobbled up her room temperature dinner and when her plate was completely clean, she had let out a soft, frustrated sigh, Ryan looking over at her, wondering what could possibly have her as upset and worried as she looked.

Okay, while it was possible that Kylie was missing Jordan, she knew that he was a deputy, which meant that he quite frequently got called away to take care of something deputy related. Ryan wasn't necessarily freaking out, albeit she was a little worried, but it wasn't uncommon for Jordan to be late for dinner, not in the slightest.

Yet Kylie was as upset as could be. She looked up at Ryan with a sad expression on her face, let out another sigh and then planted her palms on the surface of the kitchen table. Ryan hesitantly climbed off her chair and stepped around, quickly unbuckling the girl from her booster seat and then lifting her down, planting her feet on the tiled kitchen floor. Before Ryan could make a move to step away, Kylie had her arms wrapped around her knees and her face buried in the side of her leg.

"Ky-pie, what's the matter?" Ryan asked in a soft, soothing tone and Kylie leaned her head back, looking up at her mom. The little girl reluctantly loosened her hold on Ryan's legs, letting her mother squat down next to her and take her into her arms. Once Ryan was hugging her tight against her chest, she let her butt drop down so that she was sitting on the floor, Kylie between her legs and hugging her right back. "It's okay."

"Where's Jordan?" She asked in an almost whimper.

Okay, so maybe Kylie was a little more concerned that Ryan originally thought. Kylie knew that he was a deputy, she knew that he was a busy man when at work, but maybe she had a point. Generally if he was going to be late, he phoned and let her know, but then again, maybe he hadn't had the time.

"He's probably just at work, you know, being a deputy is a noble thing." Ryan answered as best as she could but if she was telling the truth, she was starting to worry too. It had been hours since he was supposed to be home and skipping dinner without a phone call wasn't something he usually did, would it really hurt if she tried to call him?

Even if he answered the phone, frustrated for her disturbance, it would be better knowing that he was okay rather than staying in the house pretending that he was fine. She needed to know, she needed to hear his voice, and maybe that's what Kylie needed too. After all, she had already lost one father, Ryan didn't want to know how Kylie would react to losing Jordan too.

But they hadn't lost Jordan, she was sure of it. This was a case of 'no news is good news' and until she heard something then she was going to assume that Jordan was alive. There were enough people at the sheriff's station to know to call her if something bad happened to Jordan, plus there were people at the hospital who knew about them too. Jordan had to be okay, she didn't want to think otherwise.

"I wanted him to tuck me in." Kylie murmured, pulling Ryan out of her thoughts.

Ryan forced a smile onto her face and looked into Kylie's bright, vibrant eyes. The little girl was absolutely smitten with the idea of having someone play the role of dad to her and Ryan couldn't help but feel excited at the prospect. She had always hoped that if she ever found another man that her daughter would adore him, but this, with Jordan around, it was beyond what she had been imagining.

"Well I could tuck you in for tonight." Ryan offered up and ran her hand through Kylie's blonde hair, pushing it back behind her ear. "I mean, I am your mom, you know tucking you in is one of my most favourite things to do, don't you?"

"Is it? Really?" Kylie's eyes widened and a look of wonder took over her face. "Mommy, I love it when you tuck me in."

"Then that's what we'll do, okay? I'll tuck you in tonight and then when Jordan gets home, I'll have him check on you, how's that sound?" Ryan forced a smile onto her face and studied Kylie's eyes. When the little girl nodded her head yes furiously, Ryan let out a chuckle and reluctantly let go of the hold she had on her. Rising up to her full height, she reached down and grabbed hold of Kylie's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"What about the dishes? Or my bath?" Kylie broke the silence that had fallen over them and Ryan pondered what her daughter had said.

Dishes were easy, she could do them once Kylie was tucked into her bed, in fact, it would be a good distraction. As for the bath, well, Kylie had had one the night before and she hadn't managed to get all that dirty during the day. Unless she really wanted a bath then Ryan wasn't going to push it.

"How bad do you smell?" Ryan countered and Kylie moved her free arm in front of her face, sniffing her limb thoroughly before a smile took up residence on her face. "If you smell really bad, then we can't possibly skip the bath."

"I think I smell good." Kylie proclaimed and Ryan bent down, grabbing hold of her and then hoisting her up so that she could settle against her hip. "What do you think?"

Ryan pressed her nose against the top of Kylie's head and took a whiff of her little girl's hair. She pretended to consider what she was going to say, Kylie looking at her with anticipation, before she too broke out into a smile.

"I think you smell just fine. Did you _want_ to have a bath? Because if you _want_ to, we can." Ryan pointed out. "But frankly, I don't think you need one tonight."

"Who's Frank Lee?" Kylie countered and all Ryan could go was choke back a laugh.

"He's the guy who makes the final decisions when I'm not too sure." She teased and Kylie set her arms around Ryan's neck, holding on tight to her mother. "But tonight, we'll leave that up to you."

"Then I don't think I want to have a bath." Kylie answered in a low voice. "I want to go to bed."

Ryan nodded her head in understanding and _frankly_ she couldn't blame the tot. It had been a long day for her and she could only imagine how much playing Kylie had done with the sitter. Her poor baby girl was probably exhausted, she was rather surprised that Kylie had lasted as long as she had without eating dinner.

Then again, it wasn't hard to figure that Kylie was probably a bit on the anxious side, especially after knowing about what had happened to her father. Cole had adored her, he had spent every free minute with Kylie that he could, and while it pained her to see Kylie without her biological father, she adored seeing her baby girl and Jordan together.

Jordan was good for them, both of them, and even though she hadn't been looking for anyone to get involved with, Ryan was certainly glad that Deputy Jordan Parrish had shown up in Beacon Hills, and more importantly, in her examination room the night he had come in for his physical.

"Sounds like a plan to me." Ryan remarked and began the trek towards the stairs, holding Kylie that little bit tighter as she ascended up the steps.

Kylie hugged her mother tighter, let out a sigh and rested her head on Ryan's shoulder as the two of them headed up to the second floor of her house. Once they reached the top, Ryan took a few steps away from the edge of the stairs, bent down and set Kylie on the floor, running her hand over her head in a comforting gesture.

"Mommy?" Kylie glanced up at her and Ryan glanced right back down at her little girl.

"Yeah Ky-pie?"

"Can you call him?"

"Call Jordan?"

"Yeah." Kylie nodded her head. "Just to make sure he's okay?"

Ryan sucked in a breath and weighed her options. She had been planning on attempting to call Jordan after Kylie was securely tucked into bed but this was a whole other request altogether. If Kylie was still awake and Ryan tried to call him, but there was no answer, then how would she be able to explain it to Kylie without showing how worried she was herself?

"We can definitely try to call him, but if he's busy, he might not pick up." Ryan explained and hoped that Kylie didn't hear the fear in her voice. Jordan was supposed to have been home for dinner, which was hours ago, and now she was trying to get Kylie to bed without hearing from Jordan at all. What if something _had_ happened to him, what if he was hurt, or worse?

"That's okay, I know he's busy sometimes, especially when he has to save people." Kylie remarked with a small smile.

With a nod of her head, Ryan led the way and ushered Kylie into her very own bedroom. Kylie made quick work of climbing up onto Ryan's bed and once she was on top of the covers, she made a beeline for the pillows, flopping down to sit amoungst them while Ryan dug her cell phone out of the pocket on her jeans.

Kylie's eyes were glued to her mother as Ryan dialed the all too familiar number, then she hit the button for speakerphone and sat down on the edge of the bed, holding the phone between them so that they could both hear it if he answered. The phone rang and rang and when it hit the last ring before going to voicemail, Ryan hit the end call button and looked down at her little girl, whose eyes were laced with sadness.

"Was that his deputy number?" Kylie pondered and Ryan shook her head no.

"We can call that one, maybe we can try leaving a message this time if he doesn't answer?" Ryan countered and Kylie scurried out of the pillow and crawled over towards Ryan, plopping down next to her and letting her legs dangle over the side of the bed.

"Okay, sounds good."

Ryan dialed the next number that she had memorized by heart and when it started ringing, she held her breath, hoping for the best. If Jordan answered, she'd feel a hundred times better, and if he didn't, well, her and Kylie would leave a message. Ryan would call his cell phone again once Kylie was in bed and leave him a message there too, that was of course, if he didn't answer his work phone.

The two of them listened as the phone rang and rang again and when Jordan's voicemail clicked in, Ryan blew out a breath and shook her head as Kylie latched on to her hand, the one not holding the phone.

"Hi Jordan, it's just me and Kylie calling. She's just about to go to bed and wanted to make sure you were okay. Anyways, if you want to, call us back, if not, I guess I'll see you when you get home."

"I love you Jordan!" Kylie added in a loud voice and Ryan smiled at her daughter's enthusiasm.

"I love you too Jordan." Ryan threw in and glanced down at Kylie, who gave her a nod of approval. Ryan then ended the call, set her phone on the nightstand and slipped off the bed, keeping a close eye on Kylie as she dropped down to the floor next to her. "Come on Ky-pie, let's go put your pajamas on and get you into bed."

"Okie dokie!" Kylie grinned and took off in a run towards the hallway, Ryan following behind her in a brisk walk.

When she wandered in to Kylie's room, her daughter was already peeling her clothes off and leaving them in a pile. Ryan headed over towards her dresser and opened the drawer with the pajamas in it. Without thinking, she nabbed the t-shirt that Jordan had given her, the one from his academy days, and handed it to Kylie, who pulled it on over her head and waved her arms in the air. It hung down to her ankles and Ryan shook her head with an amused smile.

"In to bed." Ryan commanded and Kylie shook her head.

"I have to brush my teeth mommy."

"All right, yes, you definitely do."

Kylie reached out and grabbed Ryan's hand, tugging on her arm and leading her back out into the hallway. Ryan followed closely as she was dragged into the bathroom, Kylie stepping up onto her little stool at the side of the sink while Ryan peeled her hand away from her daughter's and readied the little girl's bright purple toothbrush.

After she handed the toothbrush, complete with toothpaste, to Kylie, she turned the water on and watched in awe as her little girl wet the bristles and paste and then shoved the end into her mouth. Her eyes never left Kylie as she watched, hoping and praying that Jordan was okay, that he'd call them back before Kylie was tucked in and give them both a sense of peace.

She still had to figure out how and when to tell him about the baby but there was no sense saying something that important over the phone.

Would he be happy? Would he be scared? What exactly would he do and say when he found out?

Jordan was amazing with Kylie but she had confided in him that she didn't want him to be alone with her until they knew what he was, or more specifically how dangerous he was. Would that be the case with the new baby? Would she be able to watch Jordan hold it without freaking out and thinking the worst? Would Jordan feel comfortable staying alone with their baby at all?

Ryan shook her head, forcing those thoughts to the back of her mind and when she focused back on Kylie, she took note that she had finished brushing her teeth. Kylie handed Ryan the toothbrush and stepped down off the stool, waiting for Ryan to follow her out of the bathroom.

When the two girls were back in Kylie's room, Ryan pulled down the covers, helped Kylie climb into bed and then lifted the covers back up. Kylie nabbed the teddy bear that Jordan had given her on their first picnic and hugged it tight against her chest as she lay down in the pillows, looking up at her mother with a smile on her face.

"Goodnight my little Ky-pie." Ryan whispered, leaning over to press a kiss against Kylie's forward.

"Night mommy." Kylie replied in an equally low tone.

Without putting it off anymore, Ryan ran her hand over Kylie's head and sauntered out of the room, pulling the girl's door shut behind her.

She debated going back downstairs to do the dishes, like she had figured on doing before, but did it really matter if they were done tonight or in the morning, not in Ryan's eyes. She headed for her bedroom instead and once she was sitting on the edge, she nabbed her phone, looked at the screen longingly and silently begged for it to start ringing.

Sure Kylie would most likely be able to fall asleep without Jordan being home but until she heard from him herself, well she wasn't going to be sleeping easy, if she could get to sleep at all. It was worse with him than with Cole because at least with Cole, she had never expected anything bad to happen. With Jordan though, she had already been through one loss and she knew that it was possible for bad things to happen again.

Sucking in an anxious breath, she dialed Jordan's cell phone number one more time and held the phone up to her ear, taking her bottom lip in between her teeth nervously. She waited for it to ring, expecting it to go to voicemail and when it did, she sucked in a breath and spoke in what she was hoping was a fairly confident tone.

"Hi Jordan, it's just me. Kylie and I called your work phone and left you a message before she went to bed and now I just wanted to cover all my bases. We're a little worried, well, okay, _I'm_ a little worried, and I just want to make sure you're okay. Call me back, no matter what time it is, please?"

She could hear the pleading tone to her voice and whether or not he picked up on it, she didn't really care. She cared about him, she needed him to know that and all she could do was pray that he got her message soon enough. She was desperate to hear his voice and all she wanted was for him to call her back and tell her that everything was okay.

Until she got a call back, she knew she wasn't going to be able to settle in for the night. Ryan ended the call and lay back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling while clutching the phone in her right hand. Bringing her left hand up, she rested her palm against her abdomen and let her eyes fall shut, her mind drifting to the baby growing there.

When she had called Derek, he had told her not to worry, not until it was born, but that was way easier said than done. The idea that her child might not be completely human scared her, terrified her to the core, and it was especially worse because no one knew what sort of supernatural creature Jordan was.

Gently drumming her fingers against her body, she tried to think of anything good, something that could distract her from her fears, but it was no use. Not only was she afraid of what her baby would be but she was afraid that Jordan was in trouble. Ryan wasn't going to be able to handle being awake by herself while she waited for Jordan to come back to her, she knew she wasn't going to be able to fall asleep without thinking the worst, and before she could stop herself, she lifted her phone up, opened her eyes and dialed the number belonging to her father.

It rang three times before he picked up and when he did, she let out a loud sigh, immediately sending Ken into a slightly panicked state.

"Ryan, what's wrong?" He asked, his tone desperate for answers. It wasn't _that_ late but it was late enough in his eyes that whatever she was calling to tell him was most likely not good news.

"Nothing, I don't think anyways." She answered with another sigh and she heard him suck in a breath on the other end.

"Okay, well, not that I don't love hearing from you but why'd you call me?"

She thought about his question for a few seconds, debating how to answer, "Jordan's not home."

"Is he supposed to be?" Ken countered.

"I thought so, I figured he'd be home for dinner, but he never showed up and now when I call him, it just rings and rings before going to voicemail." She explained. "I know it's probably nothing but after what happened to Cole-"

"I'm sure he's fine." Ken cut in, sensing how desperate Ryan was to hear reassuring words. "Why don't you talk to me about your day instead? Hey! Weren't you supposed to have an appointment with that doctor from the hospital?"

Oh crap! She had forgotten all about that and about telling her dad what Doctor Hathcock had said. If she hadn't been too busy fretting, maybe she would've pulled herself together long enough to share her news with her dad, after all, it was pretty exciting, once she got past the crippling fears.

"I did, yeah, she confirmed what I already suspected. I'm pregnant." Ryan couldn't help the small smile spreading over her face at the thought of having a baby with Jordan. Yes, he'd be an amazing parental figure and there was no doubt that he'd be happy to hear that they were going to have a baby too, all she had to do was figure out when and how to tell him of course.

"Congratulations." Ken chuckled on the other end of the line. "You'll be an amazing mom, well okay, you already are."

"Thanks dad." She murmured. "I haven't told Jordan yet though."

"I'm sure he'll be thrilled, maybe even kick his ass into putting a ring on your finger." Ken joked and Ryan went rigid at the mentioning of a ring.

Getting married wasn't that farfetched of an idea but yet it hadn't even crossed her mind, not even when she had initially thought she was pregnant. It was the logical next step for them, but it was the farthest thing from her mind at that moment.

"Has he talked to you about that?" Ryan questioned. She figured that any reasonable man would at least ask her father for permission, but maybe she no longer lived in a time when that was expected. "He hasn't mentioned anything like marriage to you, has he?"

"Not to me, no. I just figured that with a baby on the way that he'd step up. Do people still do that nowadays or are you two just going to date for the rest of your lives?" Ken asked, genuinely interested in the way things worked currently. Ryan thought about his question and found her mind drifting to Jordan.

She had been married once before and it hadn't exactly ended well for her, or her husband for that matter. Would she be able to handle getting married again?

Jordan wasn't like Cole though, he was aware of the supernatural, which meant that he was better equipped to handle weird things, including kanimas, onis and even wendigos. If Cole had known about those sorts of creatures, maybe he'd still be alive today and maybe she'd be pregnant with their second child, instead of another man's.

But he wasn't still alive, he was gone, had been stolen right out from under her when she hadn't been expecting it and now she was pregnant with another man's baby. It wasn't that she was upset at the idea of having someone else's baby at all, the fact that it was with Jordan made her feel a little bit better, but it still freaked her out.

"For starters, like I said before, I haven't told him about the baby yet, so I don't know, maybe he'll propose after I tell him." Ryan said softly. "Would you be okay with that though?"

"Him marrying you?" Ken sounded confused and Ryan immediately felt a little bad for asking him. It was clear to anyone around them that Ken approved of Jordan, and so far he hadn't flown off the handle at Ryan for winding up accidentally pregnant, _again_. She was older though, she was a grown woman and she could handle herself, she knew that, he didn't have to tell her. No matter what she did, or what decisions she made, he'd always be there for her and Kylie.

"Yeah. You like Jordan, right?"

"I do." Ken answered swiftly. "I think he's good for you, and for Kylie. I know how much you loved Cole, hell, I can see how much you miss him, but Jordan's a good guy. If he ever asks me for permission to marry you, what would you want me to say?"

"What?" Ryan barked back. "Well, what…what would you say without my influence?"

"I'd say yes, and then I'd threaten to kill him slowly if he ever hurt you or Kylie." Ken stated. "You're still my little girl, no matter what."

"Right." Ryan let out a sigh of relief. "I think marrying Jordan wouldn't be the worst idea."

"I think it'd be pretty good."

"Probably." She chuckled at his statement. "Thanks dad."

"Anytime Ry. You're my baby girl, always and forever and you can call me anytime, morning, noon or night."

"I know." She bowed her head. "Well, I think I'm going to get ready and lay down, maybe I'll be lucky enough to fall asleep without Jordan."

"Maybe. Remember, if you need me, I'm always here."

"I know. Night dad."

"Night daughter."

She waited to hear the clicking of him hanging up the phone before pulling the device away from her ear. Shooting Jordan a quick text, she sat upright and set her phone on the nightstand. With one final, longing look at her phone, she let out a sigh and started getting ready for bed.

It was going to be a long night without Jordan by her side.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 **Another huge round of thank yous go out to everyone who's still reading this story and to all of you who have this on their alert and favourite lists!**

 **DJDragon1: A fight, well, yes, that would've been pretty epic, I guess I was expecting a little more sympathy towards Lydia than people seem to be giving her lol. Ooh yes, that does sound intriguing, Ryan talking to the hellhound, I'll definitely be filing that away for later ;)**

 **poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Ryan being feisty is definitely a good sight to see haha**

 **Nurain Sheik: thank you for both of your reviews! I'm sorry that the suspense is killing you, hopefully this chapter tides you over for a little while**

 **Kylie Winchester: Fair point, if I was him and I had a girl like Ryan waiting for me, I'd certainly act a little differently towards Lydia.**

 **Guest: That's a good point, I think that Ryan should've approached her outside side of the hospital too but it's not like she would've gotten a lot of opportunities for that, hence the hospital confrontation. I'm hoping that maybe Jordan can redeem himself in the next few chapters...thanks so much for the review!**

 **Guest (2): I didn't want to totally neglect the Jordan/Lydia storyline completely and I tried to make it fit as well as possible...Ryan's just trying to hang on to the people she cares about, plus it's not like she's totally aware of what Lydia's trying to do. Things will definitely shift between Ryan and Jordan soon though, hopefully for the better**


	58. Chapter 58

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 58:_**

Kylie wasn't scared of the dark by any means but she hated wandering through the hallway in the middle of the night by herself. It was the quiet that freaked her out, it was the weird creaking noises coming from the house itself and it was the strange shadows dancing across the walls that really freaked her out.

Nothing was going to stop her though, nothing was going to keep her from getting to her mother, except maybe the banging noise echoing up the stairs from the main floor. She pressed her back against the wall of the hallway and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to will herself to move forward. If she could just get to her mom's room, if she could get _to her_ mom then everything would be okay.

Ryan would protect her, she knew she would, but she had to get there, she had to get to her without attracting the attention of whatever was in the house.

Kylie's eyes popped open and she let out a whimper, debating whether or not to call out for her mom. If she called out though, she'd let whoever else know exactly where she was and did she really want that to happen?

No, no she didn't. She wanted to get to her mom, she wanted to get out of the hallway but she was frozen against the wall in fear. There were footsteps now, loud heavy footsteps that had her legs shaking the slightest little bit. This wasn't happening, this couldn't be happening, her mom had told her monsters weren't real time and time again, and Jordan had informed her that he wouldn't let anything get her, but Jordan wasn't here, at least not that she knew of.

She slid down the wall so that her butt was against the carpeted floor and she stared at the top of the stairs, her ears perked and listening as the footsteps grew louder and louder. She didn't know what to do, she didn't know where to go, she just knew that whatever was coming to get her was going to succeed if she didn't do something fast.

When a shadowy figure started to appear across the wall from the stairs, she felt the tears welling up in her eyes, her body shaking in pure terror. Before she could think, before she could consider her best move, she let out an ear-piercing shriek and covered her own ears while at the same time squeezing her eyes shut as tight as they would possibly go.

"Mommy!" She wailed and dropped down into a fetal position on the carpeted floor of the hallway. "Mommy help!"

The hallway light sprung to life but she still didn't move, she just laid there, shaking and quaking in fear that her mother wouldn't be able to get to her before the monster did.

When a gentle hand came down on her back, she opened one eye and peeked out at who she was expecting to be her mother but instead, she came face to face with none other than Jordan. Without hesitating for a second, she uncurled her body and lunged at him, burying her face in his shoulder while his arms came around her, holding her tight against him as he attempted to soothe her fears.

"Kylie, it's okay." He murmured and she let out a gross sob, her body still shaking as he tried to comfort her. She leaned her head back just enough to catch sight of her mother standing over them, a worried look on her face.

Ryan squatted down next to them and set her hand on Kylie's back. Before either grown up knew what was happening, Kylie ripped herself out of Jordan's grasp and dove for her mother, holding on to her with every ounce of strength she had.

"Ky-pie, what's wrong?" Ryan asked in a calm, soft tone as she dropped down and sat on the floor next to the squatting Jordan.

"Didn't you hear?" She wailed and her hands grabbed at Ryan's shirt, fisting the material in her clenched hands. "There's a monster in the house!"

"A monster?" Ryan looked from Kylie to Jordan and found herself piecing it all together. Jordan had maybe tried to be quiet as he wandered into the house but if Kylie had heard and not known exactly what was happening, then it was very possible that she had freaked out over his arrival home. "Ky, there's no monsters in this house."

"But I heard!" Kylie shrieked and gripped Ryan's shirt tighter, her knuckles turning white from the pressure.

"Kylie, I think you heard me." Jordan confessed in a whisper. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, I was just trying to be quiet."

"But I heard the monster." Kylie cried out and Ryan clutched her tighter. "It was coming up the stairs to get me, I heard him!"

"Sweetie, that was just Jordan." Ryan soothed and Kylie looked between her mother and Jordan, who looked utterly saddened by what had just transpired. "There's no monsters here."

"Can you…can you check?" Kylie pleaded, her eyes locking on Jordan.

"I'll go make sure." Jordan offered and bounced up to his full height. Ryan held on to her daughter for a few seconds longer and when Jordan disappeared down the stairs, she struggled to her feet, Kylie still in her hold.

She clutched her daughter against her chest and wandered towards her bedroom, sitting on the edge of the bed and letting Kylie bury her face into her shoulder. Kylie continued to cry and shake in fear while Ryan simply held on to her, hoping that she'd settle down soon enough. She couldn't begin to imagine what sorts of creatures Kylie had managed to dream up.

"Why were you in the hallway anyways?" Ryan questioned, her hands running up and down Kylie's back in a soothing manner. "How come you weren't in bed?"

"I wanted to sleep with you." Kylie muttered and hesitantly peeled herself away from Ryan. Ryan turned them so that they were facing the head of the bed and when Kylie's eyes locked on the fluffy pillows, she crawled across the covers and buried herself under the sheets, placing her head directly in the middle of Ryan's pillow.

"You could've called me from your room, I would've come to you." Ryan pointed out and shifted on the bed before lying down behind Kylie, slipping her arm around the tot's shoulders and pulling her back flush against her chest. Ryan pressed a reassuring kiss against the back of her little girl's head and at that action, she felt Kylie's shaking start to decrease.

"I'm sorry mommy."

"You have nothing to be sorry for, I just don't like it when you're scared, it makes me sad." Ryan confessed and let out a breath. The two of them fell silent and it wasn't until the hallway light flicked out that either of them moved. Ryan gently let go of Kylie and rolled onto her side, flipping the switch on the lamp next to the bed so that they weren't in total darkness.

Jordan stepped into the room and crossed the floor so that he was standing beside the bed, looking down at Kylie, whose face was streaked with tears.

"Did you find any monsters?" She asked in a whimper and Jordan shook his head no.

"There are no monsters here, you're safe." He voiced and gingerly sat on the edge of the bed. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Kylie scooted closer to him and reached her tiny little hand out, latching it on to his wrist. Jordan looked down at her and studied her face, fighting off the urge to shiver at the scared look residing there. Ryan moved into a sitting position and slipped her arm around Kylie's waist, moving her back so that her hold on Jordan broke, allowing him to do what he needed to do in order to be ready for bed.

"Did you get my messages?" Ryan questioned in a soft tone and Jordan cocked his head to the side. "We called you at work and left one there, then I called your cell and left you another one."

"I uh, I haven't checked my…" He trailed off and dug into the pocket on his jacket in search of his phone. When he pulled it out, he looked down at the screen and noticed the messages symbol was flashing. "Sorry, I must've been distracted."

Ryan gave him a shrug and watched as he unlocked his phone, lifting it up to his ear to listen in to the message that she left for him. He heard the concern in her voice, he listened to her words and when the message was finished, he shook his head and set the phone on the table next to the bed.

"I didn't mean to worry you two." He breathed the words out and slipped his arms out of his jacket. It dropped to the floor and before either girl could prepare themselves, he leaned forward and enveloped them both into a huge hug, sandwiching Kylie between them. "I love you two."

"Jordan!" Kylie squealed and pressed her palms against his chest, trying to get him to give her some room to breathe. Once he was leaning back, away from them, Kylie forced a smile onto her face and relaxed against Ryan. "Where were you? You missed dinner."

He smiled at the little girl and shook his head, "I uh, I had…"

Ryan studied him as he struggled to get an answer out. The confusion on his face didn't go unnoticed by her but she wasn't going to point it out for fear that Kylie would get worried again.

"He was busy with work." Ryan supplied and Jordan met her eyes, nodding his appreciation at her words.

"Yeah?" Kylie beamed up at him, her eyes wide with wonder. "You were keeping us all safe, right?"

"Right." He smiled down at her. "Now, why don't you get settled in with your mom and I'm just going to brush my teeth real quick."

"And then you're coming back?" Kylie was nearly pleading but he simply nodded his head and moved off the bed. When he was out of the bedroom, Kylie laid down, as did Ryan, and the two of them curled up together in the warm covers.

"See, you're okay." Ryan murmured and ran her hand through Kylie's slightly messy blonde locks. "Go to sleep, I'm right here and I won't let anything get you, ever."

"Hmm kay."

Ryan continued to run her hand through Kylie's hair, a silence falling over them. She listened to the noises that Jordan was making in the bathroom and after a minute or so, she glanced down at Kylie, who had her eyes shut. She wasn't quite sleeping yet but Ryan knew that she would be soon and a few more minutes later, when Jordan tiptoed back into the bedroom, Kylie's breathing had evened out and she had fallen right to sleep.

Jordan stripped out of his pants, leaving his boxers on, and then peeled his shirt off before grabbing a clean one from the dresser. He met Ryan's eyes as she stared up at him and ever so gently, he climbed into bed in front of her, caging Kylie between their bodies.

"Where were you?" She asked but her tone was more concerned than accusatory.

"Honestly, that's the weird part. I don't remember." He answered in a soft tone. "One second I'm getting ready to head home and the next second I'm hearing Kylie screaming for you."

"And everything in between is just…what, a blur?"

"No, not a blur, I have no idea what happened at all. It's like I blacked out or something." Jordan explained. "Hours of my night are just missing."

"Wow." She gaped. "And you have _no_ idea what you were doing?"

"Not at all." He shook his head. "I'm sorry that I didn't answer and I'm sorry that I freaked her out."

"It's…I don't know. It's not really your fault." Ryan struggled with the words. On one hand, she was a little upset that he hadn't called between dinner and bed time, but on the other hand, if what he was saying was true, then he had no idea what had happened to him. "It worries me that you have no idea what you were doing."

"It worries me too." Jordan confessed. "But hearing Kylie screaming…that's not something I ever want to hear again."

"Well, I can't promise that you won't but she'll be okay. She's got me and you looking out for her." Ryan smiled over at him and when his hand came to rest on her hip, she bowed her head and pressed another kiss against Kylie's head. "Come on, let's get some rest, we'll deal with things in the morning."

"Okay. I love you Ry."

"I love you too Jordan."

The lamp behind her remained on and Jordan wasn't about to argue. Without another word between them, Ryan relaxed into the bed, clutched Kylie a little tighter and let her eyes fall shut. It wasn't too much later that Jordan found himself doing the same.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Ryan hadn't planned on waking up after the fact but here she was, lying in bed, way too early in the morning for her liking. Kylie was tucked between her and Jordan and without thinking about it, she turned over to look at the clock on her nightstand. She still had a couple hours of sleep left until she had to get up for work, yet for some reason she was awake and her mind was reeling. She wouldn't be able to stop it, she wouldn't be able to calm herself down enough to keep things off her mind so that she could go back to sleep, and with one glance over towards where Jordan was lying next to her, she blew out a low breath and debated moving.

She did have to go to the bathroom but was it worth moving and risking waking up Kylie and Jordan or could she hold it until it was time to get up, seeing as she knew she wasn't going to be getting back to sleep now that there were things floating around in her head, things that were currently stressing her out.

She still hadn't told Jordan that she was pregnant, she didn't know when a good time would be, but she knew that she had to tell him sooner rather than later because at the rate that she was going, she'd most likely be showing before she gained the courage to admit to him that she was carrying their baby. Ryan let out another breath and gingerly slipped her body away from Kylie, being especially careful not to jar her awake. It had taken enough time to get her to calm down after the scare and if she, accidentally or not, happened to wake up her little girl, she knew that it would be a tough time getting her to relax yet again.

When Ryan was free from Kylie and Jordan, she twisted her hips towards the edge of the bed and moved towards the floor, dropping her feet down to hit the carpet. She hauled herself out of bed and gently lifted the covers upwards, making sure that the two remaining people in her bed were tucked in, and then she headed for the door, tiptoeing all the way out into the hallway.

She made it to the bathroom before she let out a groan and flopped down to sit on the edge of the tub. Running her hands over her face, Ryan held her breath and squeezed her eyes shut. During the past, when she was having trouble sleeping, there was nothing stopping her from taking a couple muscle relaxers and heading back to bed, but everything was different now, she was pregnant and that meant that she couldn't just take whatever medications she wanted, not without endangering her unborn child.

Lifting her head up, Ryan glanced around the bathroom and shook her head, desperately trying to regain her composure before she dared to head back to bed. Without putting it off any longer, she rose up to her full height and made use of the facilities, effectively emptying her full bladder.

Before she stepped back out into the hallway though, she paused and glanced longingly at the medicine cabinet. Part of her wondered if there _was_ something, _anything_ , that she could take to help her sleep that wouldn't affect the baby, but another part of her knew that no matter what she chose, it was better not to take it anyways. Flipping the light off, Ryan trekked back to her room and slunk inside.

For a few seconds, she studied the darkness in front of her, there was just enough moonlight filtering in that she could see the outline of Kylie and Jordan, plus the lamp next to the bed was still on, and without thinking too much about it, she pressed forward and leaned over the bed.

Kylie was sound asleep, which meant that she most likely wouldn't wake up, and Ryan was perfectly capable of putting her in her own bed where she belonged. As carefully as she could, Ryan snaked her arms underneath the covers, and ultimately underneath Kylie. After mentally counting to three, she freed the little girl from the bed and hoisted her up into her arms.

Carrying her was the easy part, it was getting her into her own bed without waking her up that would prove to be the hard part, but Ryan wasn't afraid. She figured that the worst case scenario would be her lying in Kylie's bed _with_ her until she fell back asleep, which sounded perfectly fine in her eyes. She just wanted to make an attempt at breaking Kylie's habit of curling up in her bed.

Moseying on into Kylie's room, Ryan stepped around the end of the bed, illuminated by the nightlight, and bent down, lowering the little girl onto the bed and slipping her arms out from underneath her. Holding her breath, she watched her baby girl for a few seconds and when Kylie didn't move, Ryan couldn't help but smile.

Even after the scare earlier, she was still sleeping soundly and Ryan couldn't have been any more pleased.

She grabbed the blankets and pulled them up over Kylie, cautiously tucking her in before prancing back out into the hallway and heading for her own bedroom, but not before pulling the little girl's door nearly all the way shut.

Ryan hadn't been expecting Jordan to be awake when she got back to her room but he was sitting up in the pillows, the lamp on next to him. She watched him stretching his arms into the air while she wandered into the room, lowering herself down to sit on the edge of the bed, her back to him for the time being.

"You okay?" Jordan asked in a low voice and she could tell that he was still very, very tired.

"I'm fine." Ryan answered and turned to face him, tucking her legs under the covers in the process. "I had to pee and I figured it was a good opportunity to put Kylie back into her bed."

"I could've carried her if you woke me up." Jordan stated but Ryan leaned in towards him and ran her palm down his arm.

"She's my daughter, I can handle her." Ryan said in a teasing tone. Jordan shook his head at her and when Ryan closed the distance between their faces, her lips pressing against his in a soft kiss, he relaxed in the bed and moved to lay down, flipping the lamp off as he did so.

"I didn't mean to imply that you couldn't handle her on your own." Jordan murmured while Ryan tucked herself up against his side, laying her head on his shoulder. He tipped his head downwards and pressed a kiss of his own against her forehead, trying to comfort her in the early hours of the morning. "Obviously you can, you were a single mom before I showed up."

"It's a lot easier with you though." She whispered in response. "She and I probably would've been cuddling on the couch still if you hadn't come along."

"You think so?" Jordan urged her to keep talking to him. Maybe part of her wanted to vent a little bit to him, maybe a bigger part of her knew that if she got _some_ of the things weighing on her mind out into the open then it might be easier for her to get back to sleep.

"I don't know, probably." Ryan snuggled up in his hold further and let out a soft sigh. "Before you showed up I was afraid of coming into this room. The mere idea of stepping foot into the space that I shared with Cole- losing him was terrifying and it all happened so quick. No one was expecting it, I didn't even get to say goodbye, you know?"

She felt Jordan's hand stroking the skin on her shoulder and at his touch, she knew that things weren't always going to feel this way. There _would_ come a time when she might be able to go more than a few days without something catching her attention and reminding her that her husband, the man she had loved, had been ripped away from her and Kylie.

"You made it though." Jordan remarked and Ryan took her bottom lip in between her teeth. "You were doing a good job handling everything when I first showed up, I can't imagine that it was easy."

"No." Ryan agreed. "It was so hard."

"And I'd expect that his death would weigh on your mind for years to come. Ryan, he was your husband, the father of your child, it's okay to still think about him. I won't feel cheated."

She knew that he was trying to keep it light and maybe she appreciated the slight bit of teasing to his tone, but when he had said the word 'father' she couldn't help but get a little more nervous about the future. Here she was lying next to the new man that she loved and she still hadn't gotten around to informing him of the baby, but even as the opportunity seemed to perfectly present itself, she couldn't muster up the courage to say anything to him.

The thought of losing Jordan terrified her and while she had managed to do okay being a single mom to _just_ Kylie, she knew that if she wound up alone with two little kids then she'd be devastated. There was nothing, not in her head anyways, that would be able to save her if she happened to lose Jordan just like she had lost Cole.

"I miss him." Ryan confessed, breathing the words out slowly. "Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love having you around but there are times when I hear something, or see something, and it reminds me of Cole so much…"

"If you ever want to talk about it, I'm right here." Jordan rolled onto his side and hugged her tighter against his chest. "I don't want you to ever think that there's anything you can't talk to me about, I won't judge you and I certainly won't get mad at you for having loved another man."

Ryan lifted her hand up and pressed her palm against his chest, directly over his heart. She tipped her head back and drummed her fingers against him, hoping that she wouldn't just break down right then and there.

"I appreciate you saying that." She forced the words out. "And you know you can talk to me about anything too, maybe you're feeling a little overwhelmed with me and Kylie-"

"Never. I adore the two of you." He cut her off and hugged her a little bit tighter. "I love you Ryan, so much."

"I love you too." She whispered back to him. "Sometimes I just get a little scared."

"Because of what happened to Cole?" Jordan pressed and she nodded her head, letting out a small whimper too. "You're scared that the same thing is going to happen again, still?"

"It's always a possibility." She pointed out and dragged her hand down his chest before bringing it back up, this time resting it against the side of his neck. "I'm sorry, I worry way too much, tonight, when you didn't answer, I started thinking the worst."

"I'm sorry I didn't answer."

"I know."

"Look, I promise that from here on out, I'll do my best to answer your calls."

"You already do." She let out a whine. "I call you too much, I know that."

"You could never call me too much. I love hearing your voice okay?"

"Okay."

"If I can't answer you, I'll get back to you as soon as I can." Jordan said reassuringly and she let out a sigh of relief. "I don't know what happened to me tonight, I honestly don't remember anything."

She leaned into his hold and gently pushed on him so that he rolled over back onto his back. She lifted her one leg up and rested it over his thigh, curling against him even more than she already was. With her body flush against his, she finally felt a tiny bit of relief.

"I believe you." She murmured.

"Can we go back to sleep now?" He questioned and she let out a quick giggle.

"Yes, yes we can."

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 **Poor Kylie eh?**

 **I can't even begin to thank you guys enough!**

 **DJDragon1: I love hearing what readers think! I think I might have something better for you coming up in regards to Jordan training Lydia...let me know when we get there lol**

 **poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Thank you for your continued support!**

 **realawesome: Oh no, I didn't want him to come off as a terrible boyfriend, I hope maybe he can redeem himself though, it won't always be this way. Thanks for the review!**

 **.2016: Oh no, it'll take more than words to get Lydia to back off lol. Jordan won't always be oblivious to how he's treating Ryan...**


	59. Chapter 59

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 59:_**

It's not that he regretted telling Lydia that he'd teach her how to fight, not in the slightest, but the more he really thought about what he was doing without Ryan knowing, the more he wondered how Ryan would react if she ever found out. On one hand it wasn't like he was doing anything bad, he was just trying to help out a friend, but he knew how Ryan felt about Lydia, and he knew that she wouldn't see the situation the same way he did.

He didn't want Lydia to be helpless anymore when it came to the supernatural but Ryan wouldn't see it as a friendly gesture, no, she'd see it for more than that, and Jordan was a little scared for when that time came. He didn't want to keep secrets from the woman he loved, but he also didn't want to end up in another petty argument about him spending time with the teenaged girl that he so often found himself spending time with.

It wasn't like he was the one going after Lydia, but that didn't seem to matter in the long run, they were both guilty in Ryan's eyes. Ryan was jealous and she had every reason to be, because now that she had pointed it out to him. He saw the way that Lydia looked at him and more often than not, it made him feel like he was going behind Ryan's back, keeping secrets and hiding things from her: which he was, sort of, but he wasn't _really_ doing anything wrong.

He wasn't cheating on her, he wasn't doing anything to implicate himself and maybe if Ryan could actually see the way he interacted with Lydia then she'd understand it more.

Until he could figure out how to handle the whole situation though, he wasn't going to outright tell Ryan. She didn't know that he and Lydia were currently at his place ready to fight each other, she didn't know where he had gone to that morning, no, he had simply said his goodbyes and watched as Ryan took off out of the house for work with Kylie in her arms. For all he knew, Ryan probably assumed he had to go to work as well, but that wasn't the case, instead, he was busy trying to teach Lydia how to properly defend herself, which was proving to be a lot more intimate and way less platonic than he originally believed.

Lydia stood in front of him and when Jordan gave her a slight not of his head, she lunged at him, attempting to attack him like he had shown her earlier. He blocked her punches with ease and even managed to land a few on her, albeit a lot lighter than any real attacker would, and when she let out frustrated groan after frustrated groan, he backed off, motioning for her to take a second and regain her composure. Maybe if she took a breather, she'd be able to channel her focus, and if she was able to channel her focus, maybe she'd be able to stand her ground.

He took in the way that she was standing and mentally corrected everything that was wrong about the way she was poised. It would definitely take some time and practice for Lydia to get it right and for the time being, he'd focus on correcting her most obvious mistakes. Once she had the basics down, then he'd start getting picky.

"Arms up, this way you can block attacks to your face and your head while always keeping your eyes on your enemy." Jordan instructed while circling with her, giving him the chance to take in the sight of Lydia standing in front of him in more detail. She had her hands curled into fists in front of her face and her entire body seemed to be vibrating with excitement, or maybe frustration. He'd admit it to anyone who asked, Lydia was relatively decent at picking up on things fairly quickly and for that he was thankful. The quicker she learned the stuff he was teaching her, the less one on one time he'd have to spend with her, and ultimately the less he'd have to hide from Ryan. "Ready?"

He made a move to punch at her but she deflected it with ease, sending his arm off to the side, driving his blow away from her. He followed it up with another jab from his other hand and she deflected it too, letting out a grunt with each impact she made on his arms. He went after her with his knee and she managed to prevent him from impacting it against her but while her head was down watching his legs, which was a rookie mistake, he reached out with his hand and landed a hit on her upper body.

She reeled backwards, trying to stay away from him and fell into an easy walk as she desperately fought to keep her frustration at bay. He could tell that she was having a hard time keeping everything straight in her head, which wasn't anything out of the ordinary, but with the frustration clearly mounting, she was starting to get sloppy, and way too predictable.

"It's all right, you're not going to be perfect after only a few tries." Jordan remarked with the hopes that his words would provide her with a bit of comfort. She really was doing well, there wasn't any reason for her to be so hard on herself.

It was easy for him to see that she was desperate to get it though, she wanted so badly to do well with each and every skill that he taught her, but with the desire to learn came the frustration at not doing the moves perfectly. The frustration itself only hindered her ability to pick up on the moves that he showed her, plus if she was as irritated with not getting it as he thought she was, she was losing focus on the right task: learning the skills he was teaching her.

"I'm okay, let's keep going." Lydia demanded and he looked her up and down, taking in the sight of the girl in front of him.

The more time he spent trying to teach Lydia how to defend herself, the more he realized that this was something he wanted to do with Ryan too, if only to get her into skimpy little workout clothes and pin her to the ground with his body. Hey, he was still a man, a man who loved the woman he was with, he wasn't going to give up his opportunities to get all up close and personal with her, especially if she was willing to let him. Plus, at the very least, she might learn a trick or two, which would only help her to fend off attackers of her own.

"You sure? Maybe we should stop after a few." Jordan stated and she tipped her head back in exasperation, desperate to grasp the basic concepts that he was trying to teach her.

"Why?" Lydia countered and brought her eyes back to him. He was taken aback by her one word question but once he had come up with a relatively decent answer, a smile took over his face.

"I don't want your stitches to get un-stitched." Jordan motioned towards her side where he knew her wound to be. It wasn't like she was fully healed, in fact, she wasn't even close to being healed at all. She was still a human and even if he was used to healing a little faster than the average person, he knew that there were still people out there that were more susceptible to injury, Lydia was a prime example of that.

Plus if she managed to pull her stitches, that would mean another trip to the hospital. Ryan worked at the hospital, and he didn't want her to catch wind of what he was doing with Lydia when she wasn't around, not until he could tell her himself.

"They're fine. See? No blood. " Lydia countered and promptly made a move to unzip her sweater. She shoved the top of her pants down, revealing the giant white bandage covering her Kanima wound. At the sight of nothing but fresh, white gauze, he sucked in a breath and anticipated her next move. When she peeled off her sweater, he followed her lead, hoping that this wasn't going to go too far. He tossed his sweater to the couch next to where he was standing and looked right at her, catching the challenging glint in her eyes. "Ready when you are."

He closed in on her quickly and made an attempt to hit her in the upper body area but, like before, she deflected his punch almost easily, which only served to fuel his fire as he went at her with his other hand. She bounced his arm off hers again but Jordan was already prepared for his next attack. He jabbed at her but she caught him by the wrist and twisted his arm. When she went to punch him in the head though, he ducked under her attempt at hitting him and she spun around.

Her momentum forced her against his body and he wrapped his free hand around her, clutching her against his chest. If Ryan ever saw him in a position where he was behind Lydia and he was holding her against him, well, he didn't want to think about what she'd do, which just meant that for his own good, she wouldn't ever get to find out, right?

But could he really pretend that this was nothing to him, that this entire training session was innocent? He knew that Ryan was aware of Lydia's little crush on him and just because he wasn't acting on anything didn't mean the girl currently in his grasp wouldn't act on her own feelings and maybe that was what Ryan was truly afraid of.

"What did you do wrong?" Jordan questioned, hoping that she had the answer and that he wouldn't have to tell her, again.

"Uh I forgot to keep my arms up." Lydia answered and fought off the frustration of losing to him, yet again. What did she expect, he had been trained by professionals and he had spent years perfecting the same skills that she had been using for less than a day.

"Right but don't worry, your muscles have memory, with enough practice, they'll remember for you." Lydia's head came down and rested on his shoulder and Jordan debated what the appropriate response should be.

On one hand, it wasn't like they were in an extremely compromising situation so why couldn't he let her relax against him for a few more seconds, even if it was just to catch her breath?

On the other hand though, he knew that this wasn't something that he would willingly tell Ryan about, which meant that he should probably focus on keeping Lydia at a far distance from him as much as he possibly could. When Lydia's body tensed in his hold and she let out a soft cry of fear, he released his hold on her and she took a step forward.

"What's wrong? What is it?" Jordan quipped.

"Muscle memory." Lydia whispered and gave a gentle shake of her head, trying to clear her head. She locked her eyes back on Jordan and looked him over, stopping to meet his own intense gaze. He sucked in a nervous breath and pulled his gaze away from her, hoping that this little impromptu training session would end soon, before anything questionable happened.

Jordan tried to find a distraction by looking around the room, searching for something, anything, to do just that and when his eyes landed on the clock tacked to the wall, he narrowed his gaze in on it and let out a soft grunt as he read the time in his head.

"Is that really what time it is?" He asked and looked around the room, desperate to lay his eyes on the window. When he looked outside though, the sun was still up, except it was starting to get the slightest bit dark. "It's really that late already?"

"Yeah, we've been at this for a while." She answered with a shrug and spun around on her heel. Jordan shook his head and tried to pull himself together, hoping that he could salvage what little time he had left until he figured Ryan would try to track him down.

If it hadn't been a serious situation before, he knew it would be soon because it was past dinner time, just barely, but that didn't mean Ryan wouldn't be worried, and rightfully so. She had probably tried to call him earlier but he had left his phone in his bedroom with the clothes that he had put on at the house before heading over to his apartment. It wasn't his fault that he had lost track of time while with Lydia, but would she see it that way? Especially if he had _only_ been teaching Lydia how to defend herself?

Stealing another look at the clock, he ran a nervous hand over his head and tried to figure out what he was going to tell Ryan when he finally wound up talking to her. Sure, he could lie and tell her that he had got caught up at work, but that would involve putting his uniform on and that would only take up more time that he didn't have, ultimately making the situation worse. He could pretend that he had been at his apartment cleaning up, but since there wasn't all that much stuff remaining at his place to start with, she'd ask more questions than he'd be able to answer confidently.

"What's wrong?" Lydia asked, her voice breaking into his thoughts and pulling Jordan back to reality.

Oh right, he was alone in his apartment with Lydia, who was half naked, this wasn't good for either of them. He needed to get rid of her, he needed to figure out what he was going to tell Ryan and he needed to do it all fast.

"Don't you have to be home?" Jordan countered and tried to keep his tone light and casual. He didn't want to scare her, he didn't want to sound too harsh, but in all honestly, he just wanted her to go so that he could figure everything else out on his own. "Isn't your mother expecting you-"

Before he could finish his sentence, he heard the unmistakable sound of a car door slamming shut from the lot outside of the building. Well that wasn't good, not at all and after a few seconds of panic, Jordan felt the severity of the situation sinking in. He rushed forward, nabbed Lydia's sweater off the floor and shoved it at her, hoping that she'd just do what he wanted her to do without arguing. She took the sweater with a huff and reluctantly slipped her arms into the sleeves just in time for Jordan to rush for the front door and pull it open before the person outside had a chance to knock.

His eyes were on her immediately and he simply stood in the doorway, watching as Ryan, dressed in her scrubs from her day at work, marched through the hallway and up to the door with a vicious expression on her face. When she spotted him standing just inside his apartment, she glared at him so intensely that he winced and even feared what might happen next.

"Is that your girlfriend?" Lydia asked from behind him and he didn't respond, he was frozen to the spot, rendered silent but the ferocious look on Ryan's face. Apparently she wasn't worried about him, not now that he was standing in her line of sight perfectly unharmed and all in one piece.

"She's here with you?!" Ryan called out to him and broke out into a jog, brushing past him and squeezing through the doorway. When she came face to face with Lydia, she planted her hands on her hips and growled at the teenager's presence in her boyfriend's apartment. "What the _hell_ are you doing here?"

"Learning." Lydia answered calmly. "Jordan said he'd teach me to fight."

"It's not actually a bad idea-"

He stopped speaking as soon as she turned to look at him. He was rendered silent by the crazed look on her face, something that he had never really seen on her before.

"You know where she can learn to fight?" Ryan snarled and looked between the two of them. "Try a gym! A self-defence class! Anywhere where she's not alone with you!"

Ryan set her sights on Jordan and didn't tear them away this time. He raised his hands in surrender and took a step towards her but she tipped her head to the side and he stopped moving, afraid of what she might be capable of in her state of anger.

"Nothing's going on." Jordan said softly, hoping that he could calm her down. He would explain everything to her once she was calm, but until that happened, he knew that any attempt at explaining would only serve to make her angrier.

"Well that may be but I remember specifically telling _her_ to stay the hell away from you."

"You did?" Jordan asked and Ryan's mouth dropped open in surprise. Was that really what he was going to focus on, was he going to try to turn the tables on her, maybe call her crazy for talking to Lydia without him knowing? There were bigger things to worry about in her eyes.

"She's a teenager." Ryan growled. "She's barely even legal and I have to come looking for you only to find you alone with her in your apartment, how do you think that looks to me Jordan?"

"He was just helping me." Lydia piped up and took a step towards them, clearly hoping to try and diffuse the situation, for Jordan's sake.

"Yeah, does your mother know where you are, or what you're doing, or who you're doing it with?" Ryan fired back and Lydia made no attempt to move out of the apartment. "Get the hell out of here!"

Lydia's eyes stayed on Ryan the entire time that she gathered up her stuff. Even when the girl was heading for the front door, she didn't dare take her eyes off of the angry nurse that was Jordan's girlfriend. It wasn't until Lydia was outside, shutting the door behind her, that Ryan turned her attention to the man in front of her.

"What do I have to say to you?" She questioned. "What do I have to tell you to get you to stop doing her favours or spending time alone with her? It hurts me, you know that right?"

"Ryan I-"

"I get that you want to help people, I do, but there are other options for her to learn to fight. She can join a gym, taking a boxing class, hit on some other deputy, but she chooses not to, she chooses to come to you."

"I know. I just thought that teaching her how to defend herself wouldn't be a bad thing. Everyone could use a little self-defence training, even you."

Huh, well, if Jordan had been going for the 'most wrong' thing to say to Ryan, he had definitely hit the nail on the head. Once the words were out of his mouth, he knew that he couldn't take them back and the intense glare on her face just proved to him that he had made a grave mistake, a mistake that had him fearing for his own life.

"You don't think that I know how to defend myself?" She took a step towards him and clenched her fists at her sides, her knuckles turning white from the sheer pressure. "I can handle myself just fine, I was married to a damn good cop before you came along, you don't think _he_ taught me a thing or two? Huh Jordan?"

Jordan tried to figure out what to say to her that wouldn't make the situation worse than it already was. In their entire relationship together, he had rarely seen Ryan mad and this, her fury that he could see on her face right in front of him, was just icing on the cake. She was furious, beyond angry, and he knew that he had to be careful of what he said next or else there'd be hell to pay.

"You're right, okay, you're absolutely right." Jordan said softly, hoping that his tone would be able to soothe her even the tiniest little bit. "You're right about everything. I never should've agreed to help Lydia like this, I never should've hid it from you and I definitely shouldn't have implied that you can't take care of yourself because obviously you can."

"Damn right I can. So are you going to stop this whole 'being alone' with Lydia thing?" Ryan countered but he could already hear it in her tone, she wasn't quite as angry as she had been seconds ago.

"If that's what you want, then yes, but I need you to know that you're the only girl for me, you're the only one I want-"

"Okay." She cut him off and her expression continued to soften. She sucked in a breath and shook her head, "and maybe I could try trusting you a little more."

"I'd like that, I'd really like that."

She took her bottom lip in between her teeth and let her fists unclench at her sides. Jordan raised his hands in surrender and took one step towards her, stopping to judge her stance, and when she didn't try to hurt him, or avoid him, he took another step towards her, stopping again just to be safe.

"You really think that I don't know how to handle myself?" She asked and peered up at him, a sad expression on her face.

"I don't know. I just know that I found you in a closet at the hospital once before and the sight of how scared you were still haunts me." Jordan explained. "I don't want to have to find you like that again."

"Oh," she reached out and ran her hand down his arm, trying to comfort him, "well Cole did teach me a few things, so you don't have to worry about me, not really."

"Okay, do you want to show me some of what he taught you?" Jordan questioned and looked her up and down, taking in the sight of her right in front of him. She broke out into a grin, grabbed him by the shoulders and met his eyes.

"You sure, I'm pretty tough." She remarked and he shook his head in amusement.

"Give me your best shot." Jordan challenged her and she offered him a nonchalant shrug in response.

"If you say so."

Without hesitating for a second, she wound up, brought her knee up and drove it into his crotch, watching as he doubled over against her, the entire weight of his body falling on her. She managed to catch him before he completely crumpled and when he was gripping her shoulders with everything he had to keep himself upright, she giggled at him. Apparently he'd hadn't been expecting her to do _that_.

"Okay." He wheezed and crouched down even further, trying to alleviate the throbbing in his private area.

"That wasn't even at full strength." She teased and helped get him over to the couch, where he cautiously lowered himself down onto the cushion. Ryan sat down beside him and leaned her head against his shoulder, waiting for him to meet her eyes. When he did, she smiled at him and slipped her hand into his.

"What else did Cole teach you, just so that I can be prepared next time?" Jordan managed to get out through baited breaths.

"We'll save that for a rainy day." She let out a soft sigh and relaxed against him. "Sorry I hit you so hard."

"Sorry I implied that you didn't know how to handle yourself."

"Hmm, well, for future reference, just remember that I was, actually, married to a cop before you came along. He wasn't just a pretty face you know."

"And neither are you." Jordan blew out a low whistle and Ryan shook her head at him.

"Come on, let's get you home."

Jordan slipped his arm around her shoulders and moved with her as she stood up off the couch. Home sounded good, and who was he to argue with her?

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Was Ryan a little too aggressive?_**

 ** _She'll be telling him in the next chapter about the baby, how do you guys hope Jordan will respond?_**

 ** _DJDragon: Kylie just got a little scared from when Jordan came in, whether it was because he was still sort of Hellhoundy or not, I'll let your imagination take that ;) Here was the first dose of Ryan vs. Lydia, how did you like it?_**

 ** _animelover78861: next chapter, I swear!_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Thank you so much!_**

 ** _.2016: Why thank you! Did you enjoy this one too?_**


	60. Chapter 60

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 60:_**

The vibrating of his cell phone had broken him out of his reverie. Sitting next to Ryan on the couch with Kylie residing on Ryan's lap, he hadn't been anticipating any distractions while they watched the movie that Kylie had picked out, but then again he was a deputy, he was always on call, and not even a family movie night with the two girls that he loved could stand in the way of his job.

Freeing the device from his pocket, he looked at the screen and furrowed his eyebrows, well that wasn't the station number, it wasn't even the sheriff, no the number flashing across his screen belonged to that of Scott McCall. Ryan produced the remote and hit the pause button, freezing the movie on the screen and ignoring the whine erupting from Kylie at the disturbance of her movie. Looking over at him, Ryan gave him an encouraging nod and he turned the phone towards her, revealing Scott's name on the screen as the incoming call.

"I can ignore it, if you really want." Jordan offered but Ryan shook her head no. Before she had a chance to say anything to him though, Kylie was crawling off of her lap and trying to get her feet on the floor. Ryan had her arm around Kylie's waist, preventing her from getting too far.

"Jordan!" Kylie whined and waved at the still vibrating phone. "You have to answer it now! We stopped the movie just for you."

Ryan rolled her eyes at her little girl's words and promptly lifted her up, cradling her against her chest. Ryan's eyes were glued to Jordan as he finally hit the answer button and moved the phone to his ear.

"Parrish here." Jordan announced and wondered if maybe it wasn't actually Scott, maybe the boy had gotten himself into trouble or something, but when Scott McCall's voice sounded out on the other end of the line, Jordan let out a small sigh of relief. "Hang on, hang on."

"What does he want?" Ryan asked in a whisper and Jordan pulled the phone away from his ear. He hit the button for speaker phone and held the device between him and Ryan, letting her in on the conversation. "Hey Scott, you're on speaker."

"Hi, uh, I need a favour." Scott responded and Ryan furrowed her eyebrows together but Scott quickly added, "from Parrish."

"Okay, what kind of favour?" Jordan countered and lifted his free arm up, slipping it around Ryan's shoulders and reveling in the fact that she immediately snuggled up against his side, Kylie relaxing in Ryan's hold at his motion as well. "Like a supernatural favour? Or a deputy type favour?"

"Sort of both, I guess, technically. See Stiles said that the sheriff's station has cell phone jammers and we came up with this plan to maybe try and catch one of the Dread Doctors but we need some help." Scott explained vaguely and Ryan cocked her head to the side.

Dread Doctors, well that was something that she wasn't entirely familiar with. Did they have something to do with the supernatural too and if they did, what was their role? They had the word doctor in their title, and it was plural, so that meant there was more than one but since they were doctors, did that mean they had medical experience, or was it just for show? Would she be encountering these so called 'Dread Doctors' at the hospital?

Ryan tried to keep her thoughts from running ramped and focused solely on Scott's voice coming from Jordan's phone. The kid had called him wanting a favour, and he had stated that it was a supernatural _and_ deputy type deal. What exactly did that mean for Jordan and would he wind up being put in harm's way because of Scott's favour?

"What are Dread Doctors?" She echoed his words and heard Scott's sharp inhale. Apparently he wasn't all that comfortable with the topic at hand, not that she could blame him. Supernatural stuff was sort of freaky, especially to a mere human like her, she had no idea how deeply it affected Scott, who was an actual werewolf.

"It's hard to explain."

"Try me." Ryan retorted and hoped that whatever he was about to tell her was something that she could handle. She didn't want to have to deal with any more Kanimas or Onis, but she knew that living in a town like Beacon Hills meant that anything, _literally_ anything, could happen. The kids that she had once babysat had turned out to be werewolves, a guy that she had grown up with had turned out to be a werewolf, the hospital had been attacked by Onis and while on shift, she had witnessed Sean Walcott ingesting a deputy. If this favour that Scott needed Jordan's help with involved new supernatural creatures, well she wanted to know.

"Right, well, okay, so you remember Tracy Stewart, she was a chimera, a sort of werewolf and kanima hybrid, but the thing is, she wasn't the only chimera that we know of." Scott laid it out on the line and Ryan tried to keep her composure. "There's been a few more that we've discovered and we're thinking there's even more that we _don't_ know of."

"So these Dread Doctors are doing what exactly?" Ryan pressed.

"Well they're the ones creating the chimeras, all of which we know of have been failures."

"And by failure you mean…?" Ryan urged him on and stole a glance down at her little girl, who was too busy fiddling with Ryan's shirt to be paying much attention to the phone call. "They didn't survive or what?"

"Basically." Scott said.

"And what exactly did you need my help with?" Jordan piped up. "You mentioned cell phone jammers?"

The line was quiet for a few seconds and Ryan let out a sigh, wondering what this particular phone call from Scott was going to entail. She wondered how much of what was going on Melissa knew about and made a mental note to ask her friend when she saw her next time she went in to work. Scott clearly had something important to talk to Jordan about and while she appreciated his vague explanations of what he was dealing with, she knew that there were way more details that he hadn't mentioned. If Melissa knew, well then wasn't that a good opportunity for her to learn more about these so called 'Dread Doctors'?

"We might need to borrow a few." Scott's voice sounded out from the phone and immediately Ryan's attention was back on the task at hand. She lifted her eyes up and caught Jordan's confused expression.

"How many is a few?" Jordan asked.

"I'm not sure, not yet anyways. The other part of the favour though, is that we were hoping you could modify them so that we can use them against different frequencies. The plan is to lure the Dread Doctors into the school and hopefully trap one of them-"

"How many of them are there?" Ryan cut in, a sense of dread flooding her body.

If there were too many, how would they manage to combat them? Not knowing what she was involved in freaked her out to no end but having more than one enemy, that just added fuel to the fire. Ryan didn't like the idea of not knowing who, or what, they were up against, especially when Scott was asking Jordan for a favour.

"Three." Scott answered. "So we were thinking three jammers might work best. If you can get the jammers to block out the same frequency that the Doctors are on…okay we're not entirely sure what might happen but we're hoping that it'll stop them."

"Stop them from what?" Jordan leaned in to the phone. Ryan lifted Kylie up and set her down on the cushion next to her, then she proceeded to hug the little girl against her chest. She glanced back at Jordan and decided that this was the prime opportunity for her to head into the kitchen and grab some snacks.

Standing up, Ryan grabbed Kylie by the hand and watched as Jordan took the call off of speakerphone and moved the phone back up to his ear. Kylie tugged on Ryan's arm as soon as her feet were on the floor and without hesitating, the two girls headed into the kitchen in search of movie time nourishment.

"Can we have cheese crackers?" Kylie turned to look up at her mom with wide eyes, excited by the prospect of having something yummy to munch on while they watched the rest of the movie.

"Sure thing Ky-pie." Ryan replied and wandered over to the cupboard, pulling the door open and grabbing the edge of the cracker box. She handed it down to Kylie who let go of Ryan's hand and hugged the box against her chest, twisting it back and forth in her hold. "Did you want some orange juice to go with them?"

"Do we have any other kinds of juice?" Kylie asked and Ryan waved towards the fridge.

"We can look."

Kylie toddled along behind her mother and when the two of them were within reach, Ryan pulled the fridge door open and began scanning the shelves. There were some juice boxes containing apple juice on the bottom that Kylie could see and on the higher shelf there was a carton of orange juice as well as a jug of fruit punch.

"Can I have an apple juice?" Kylie questioned, her tone nothing but polite. Ryan smiled at her little girl in response and watched as her tiny little hand shot out, grabbing one of the apple juices before she pulled it against her body with the crackers.

"Is there anything else you want?" Ryan smiled down at her daughter and Kylie shook her head no.

"I'm good with cheesy crackers."

"Okay, should we go see if Jordan's ready to get back into the movie?" Ryan lifted her hand away from the fridge and let the door fall shut, she then set her palm on the top of Kylie's head, running her fingers through the girl's hair.

"Yeah please." Kylie grinned up at Ryan and before she had a chance to make a move, Kylie took off in a run, heading out of the kitchen and into the living room.

Ryan took her time and followed the same path that Kylie had taken just seconds earlier and by the time she entered the living room, she was able to catch Kylie settling down on the cushion next to Jordan, offering him the box of crackers. She noticed that his phone wasn't anywhere that she could see it and she hoped that meant that the phone call was over.

"No apple juice for me?" Jordan joked and Ryan shook her head before lowering herself down on the other side of Kylie, sandwiching her between the two adults.

"Did you want something, I can make coffee." Ryan offered but she knew that Jordan wasn't going to ask for anything. If he wanted something, he'd most likely get it himself and when he merely smiled at her, she knew that he was good, he wasn't going to be needing anything of his own. Maybe he'd try to steal a sip of Kylie's apple juice, more likely he'd just nab a few crackers, but either way, he wasn't going to have Ryan get him anything.

"Ready to get back into this movie?" Jordan countered and glanced down at Kylie, who was fiddling with the wrapper on the straw. Without words, Ryan gently took hold of the object in her daughter's hand and freed the straw from the wrapping. She then grabbed the juice box and put the straw in the hole, holding on to the drink until Kylie really wanted it. "I put my phone on silent so we shouldn't be interrupted again."

"You didn't have to do that." Ryan said softly.

"I know, but I wanted to. I like spending time with you two." Jordan replied, his tone equally as soft.

"Cracker?" Kylie spoke up, shaking the box in her hands. "They're cheesy!"

Ryan reached her hand into the box and grabbed a few crackers, Jordan following her lead. When everyone in the room had cheese crackers in their possession, Kylie frantically waved at the remote and Ryan hit the play button.

"Everything okay?" Ryan whispered above Kylie's head, wanting to keep the conversation between her and Jordan.

"Yeah." Jordan nodded his response but kept his voice low to match Ryan's. "I'll fill you in later."

Ryan bowed her head and looked at the cheese crackers in her hand. She lifted one up and popped it into her mouth before looking back over at Jordan.

"I want to talk to you later anyways." Ryan sighed and her thoughts flitted to the baby.

"Uh oh." Jordan smirked.

"No, it's not like that." Ryan shook her head. "Later okay?"

"Later."

To Ryan, later would come way too soon.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Ryan was nervous before she had even tucked Kylie in. Once the little girl was safely wrapped up in her blankets while she hugged her stuffed teddy bear against her chest, Ryan felt even more anxious. This was it, this was the moment that she finally confessed to Jordan that she was pregnant, _if_ she didn't chicken out of course.

He was already lounging in the bed when she stepped into the room in her pajamas and at the sight of him without a shirt on, she sucked in a breath and hoped that she wouldn't get too distracted. Jordan waved her forward and Ryan climbed up onto the bed next to him, settling into the pillows and leaning against his side, his arm immediately coming around her shoulders. When she was securely in his hold, she let out a sigh and tipped her head back, meeting his eyes.

"I have to help Scott, and that means that I'll be around Lydia, is that okay?" Jordan started and Ryan was taken aback by his statement for a few seconds. She hadn't been expecting him to get right into it, nor had she been expecting him to tell her that he _might_ have to be around Lydia. Well it was certainly a change from what had happened before, at least he was taking the initiative to mention it to her before it was too late.

"Alone?" Ryan breathed the word out but there was no anger or frustration in her tone.

"It's a possibility." He nodded. "If that's not okay with you-"

"I trust you." She cut him off. "And while I appreciate you telling me this, you don't actually need my permission."

"I just want you to be comfortable when I'm not with you."

"I know. It's okay, just don't get yourself hurt or anything though and if I find out that she's crossed a line, I'm going to need you to pull some strings to keep me out of jail." Ryan stated and brought her hand up, raking her nails down his chest. Jordan's grip on her tightened and he leaned down to close the distance between them, pressing a kiss against her forehead to comfort her.

"Ryan, I don't want her." Jordan smiled. "I want you."

"That's good." She dropped her gaze down to her feet and moved her hand away from his chest, resting her palm over her belly button instead. "So what exactly do you have to help Scott with?"

Jordan shifted slightly and readjusted his hold on her, "aside from modifying the jammers, I volunteered to stand watch the night they try to catch one of the Dread Doctors."

"Stand watch where?" She narrowed her eyes in on him.

"The high school." Jordan answered. "They think it's their best shot. Don't worry though, I'll be outside with my vehicle and my gun."

She rolled her eyes at his lame attempt to sate her worries and tipped her head back, looking past him to the ceiling. She let her eyes fall shut and wondered if he'd change his plans upon finding out she was pregnant. She wanted him to keep doing the things that he planned on doing but she knew that having a pregnant girlfriend would certainly be a distraction.

Ryan could remember times when Cole didn't want to leave the house for fear that something might happen to her or the baby, she hated having him put his plans on hold to look after her, and she didn't want to become a distraction. If she became a distraction for Jordan, that meant that he'd be trying to handle the supernatural without being completely focused, which could easily result in him finding himself in trouble because of her.

"Be careful." She mumbled and let her eyes flutter open. Jordan moved his hand down from her shoulders and gently grabbed her hip instead.

"I always am."

"Right, well, I remember that night of the big storm when the sheriff had to bring you in to the hospital after you were attacked because you went out to check on a noise complaint."

"You're the one who locked herself in the closet." Jordan countered with a smile.

"Okay." She blew out a breath. "Just promise me that you'll be careful."

"I promise."

She brought her legs up and tucked her feet under her bum while leaning into his hold even more. He drew her against his chest and hugged her completely, tucking her head under his chin.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Jordan asked in a hushed whisper and Ryan moved her head out from under his, leaning back a little so that she could meet his eyes.

Squirming slightly, Jordan released his hold on her and she relaxed back into the pillows, her back against the headboard behind her. Jordan twisted his hips and faced her, studying her carefully as she sucked in a breath, held it for a few seconds, and then blew it out.

"Remember way back when we first started seeing each other, you asked me whether or not I wanted more kids?" Ryan started and held his gaze, refusing to look away.

"I do," he nodded, "is that what you want to talk about?"

"Yes." She sucked in a breath and when he tipped his head to the side, she knew that this would be easier if she just let it out. "I'm pregnant."

He froze, his eyes widened and she watched him, hoping that he wasn't going to freak out. She knew that it wasn't planned, they weren't married yet, or even engaged, but it was happening, whether or not they wanted it too. Ryan prayed that everything would turn out okay, she wanted this child with him, she wanted them to be a family, a _real_ family.

Her eyes were trained on him and when he shook his head, she found herself wondering if he considered her news a good thing or a bad thing. Jordan reached his hand out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear before letting his palm rest of the side of her neck.

"Ryan-"

"I know we didn't really talk about it or anything but it just…it happened and it's happening now."

"Ryan, shh." He leaned in and pressed a kiss against her lips. She was tense and he could tell, but on the bright side, at least he wasn't freaking out…yet.

"I don't want you to be mad." She muttered.

"I'm not mad." His lips turned up into a smile and she let out a soft sigh. "I think that's the best news ever."

"Yeah?" She widened her eyes at him and wondered if maybe he was just in shock. Later, when everything had really sunk in, would he change his mind? Would he be mad then?

"Are you happy?" Jordan questioned.

Was she happy? Having a baby, especially one with a man that wasn't entirely human, terrified her. She had gone through a pregnancy once before, it had been difficult and awful at times, but she had done it and now that Kylie was in her life, she wouldn't have changed anything if she could've. This was a different time though, a different set of circumstances, but did that mean she wasn't happy?

In her head she could picture Jordan with a little baby, boy or girl it didn't matter, and the picture in her head was wonderful. He'd be a great father to his own child, hell he was already a great father to Kylie, but did the fear of the unknown, or what might happen to her child, outweigh the joy of bringing another baby into the world?

"Scared." Ryan stated matter-of-factly. "Terrified actually."

"But happy?"

"I think so." Ryan bowed her head and looked down at her hands. "So this is something you want?"

"Of course."

"Okay."

"Good." Jordan nodded his head firmly. "Did you want to talk about why you're terrified? Or can I ask some questions of my own?"

Ryan let out a snort at his statement, of course he'd have questions. He probably thought that they had been safe, he probably assumed that this wouldn't have happened, but here she was, sitting next to him after telling him that she was pregnant. Maybe his questions were going to be simpler, perhaps he wanted to know how far along she was or how she had found out.

"I think I'm mostly afraid that our baby will be born supernatural." Ryan admitted and he ran his thumb across the skin on her neck. "Not that that means I would love it any less but I don't know how to handle that, I guess I just picture this little baby bursting into flames or something ridiculous like that."

"Ryan." He shook his head at her but the smile on his face just continued to grow. "Whatever our baby turns out to be, we'll figure it out."

"I know." She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Okay."

"You have questions." She stated, waving her fingers in his direction. "Probably going to start with 'but how did this happen if we were always safe', right?"

"Actually no." He shook his head again. "I mostly wanted to know how far along you are."

"Oh."

She blew out a breath and uncrossed her arms, letting her hands fall against her belly, directly over her belly button. He ran his hands down her arms and wrapped his fingers around her wrists.

"Can you tell?" Jordan inquired and nodded towards her tummy.

"No." She answered. "I'm only a few weeks along, in fact, I haven't even gone for my first ultrasound, I was sort of thinking maybe you'd want to be there for it with me?"

His eyes lit up at the idea and Ryan found herself smiling genuinely for the first time since she had informed him of their bundle of joy. Jordan closed the distance between them and kissed her hard on the lips and when Ryan made a move to deepen the kiss, he immediately pulled away.

"I'll be there, you just let me know when and where." Jordan grinned.

"Okay." She chuckled. "Okay, so maybe I can see if there's an opening one day next week after work? You can meet me at the hospital?"

"Sounds good."

Ryan let out another sigh of relief and moved to lie down on the bed. Jordan followed her lead and snaked his arms around her waist, pulling her flush against him. When she settled in against his side, he ran his fingers over her hip and gently gripped her side, eliciting a giggle from her as he squeezed her flesh in his hand.

She hadn't been expecting him to be so happy, so accepting of her current predicament but she hadn't been expecting him to blow up either. His eyes were locked on hers and she found herself feeling completely and utterly relieved for the time being. Jordan knew about the baby, he knew what she was dealing with and he seemed to accept that he was going to be a dad to a baby of his own, she just prayed that her pregnancy would be smooth.

"Does this change things between you and Lydia?" Ryan asked in a soft voice.

"There isn't anything between me and Lydia, but even if there was, I want you and only you."

"And our baby."

"Okay, yes, and _our_ baby." He beamed at her and Ryan let her eyes fall shut, simply basking in the feeling of his hand on her.

"I love you."

"I love you too." He said and cocked his head to the side clearly distracted by something else. Before she had a chance to inquire, he spoke again, "so when do we find out if it's a boy or a girl? Oh, or were you hoping to be surprised when it's born?"

"Definitely going to find out before it's born and probably not for a couple more months at least. Why, what are you hoping for?" She lifted her hand up and ran her fingers through his hair. He scrunched his face up in contemplation and when Ryan let out a snort, he started laughing.

"I don't care, so long as it's not born a ball of fire."

She pinched his shoulder in response but laughed along with him. Now that her secret was no longer a secret, Ryan could focus on the more important things in life, keeping her children, both of them, safe.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Oh here it is, the big reveal! What did you guys think?_**

 ** _DJDragon: Oh there might be more between Ryan and Lydia, I'm not going to say any more than that ;) Thank you for the continued reviews!_**

 ** _Alice Williams: Wasn't hard enough on him, well that seems to be the general consensus. Maybe I underestimated how people would/wouldn't react to certain things. Thanks so much for the review and I think maybe Jordan will start to realize that he has someone great already and that he should avoid Lydia/tell her to back off._**

 ** _Guest: Lydia being pathetic, is that a good thing in regards to this story or does that mean that you're upset with something? I appreciate the feedback :)_**

 ** _realawesome: How did you feel about her telling him about the baby? Was it good? Thank you for the review!_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Fiesty Ryan should come out more often :)_**

 ** _LoveFiction2016: (Gosh, I'm so sorry, I didn't realize that your username disappeared last chapter!) Not too harsh, well that's good. I thought maybe she had gone a bit too far but after all the reviews, I think maybe she could've gone further. Thanks so much!_**


	61. Chapter 61

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 61:_**

Making sure to kiss Ryan goodbye before she left for work in the morning, Jordan tried to keep himself composed. It was almost time for him to help Scott and his gang set the trap at the high school and after Ryan informed him that she was pregnant, with his child, he had started to consider what he really wanted to do.

While he liked helping people, especially Scott, he knew that if he wanted to be around for the birth of his baby, he was going to have to start playing it a little safer than he was. There couldn't be any more trips to the hospital because he had been attacked and he certainly needed to reconsider how often he spent time with Lydia from that moment on. He wanted Ryan to trust him, and while she said that she did, he didn't want to give her any reason not to. She was the only woman that he wanted and ever since she had gone and told him that she was pregnant, he wanted to make it official.

He wanted to marry her, he wanted them to be a real family, and the idea of legally adopting Kylie had even crossed his mind. He was all in with Ryan, he just had to tell her as much. She had no idea that he was thinking about proposing, she had no idea what he wanted and the only way for her to find everything out was for him to tell her, but that would mean ruining the surprise.

First he'd have to get Ken's permission to marry his daughter, then he'd have to pick out a ring and finally he'd have to actually ask her and that in itself was a whole other ball game. He'd have to make it perfect, plan out the perfect night and where he wanted to ask her, but more importantly, he'd have to make it something that she'd never forget.

It all boiled down to Ryan. Everything was for her, for their potential to be a real family, but if that was something she didn't want, if she was happier being unmarried and if she didn't want Kylie to be adopted by him, then he'd deal with that too. Kylie had had a dad of her own, she had known him briefly before he had been ripped from their lives, which just meant that maybe she didn't want a _new_ dad.

With the thought of talking to Ryan flooding his mind, he pulled into the school parking lot and caught sight of Lydia and Malia standing just outside the nearest set of doors. When the vehicle came to a stop, he put it in park, freed the keys from the ignition and climbed out of the driver's side, immediately heading around to the back and popping the hatch open.

The two girls came up to stand next to him, one on either side and without instruction, Malia reached in and grabbed hold of one of the cell phone jammers that Jordan had spent way too much time modifying.

This was the plan, in all its glory, and without hesitating, Jordan sucked in a breath and said a silent prayer for everyone involved. He wanted all of the teenagers to make it out in one piece, he wanted himself to make it home to Ryan unscathed, but this was the supernatural they were dealing with, part of him knew it most likely wouldn't be that simple

"We're betting our lives on these?" Malia asked skeptically and held the device in her hands. Jordan fought off the urge to shake his head and instead looked over at Lydia.

"I think we're betting Hayden's life on them." Lydia replied, Jordan leaning forward and gripping the edge of one of the remaining cell phone jammers.

"Yeah, well, I'm glad I brought my gun." Jordan murmured and watched as Lydia reached out to grab hold of the one that he had just pulled from the trunk. Grabbing the last one for himself, he then reached up and shut the back of the vehicle, then he followed the two girls into the school, letting them lead him through the winding hallways to the place where everything was going to go down.

Lydia motioned for him to carry on while she veered off into a classroom but he didn't move, instead, he stood watch outside, waiting for her. A few seconds later she headed back out to meet him without the jammer in her possession. The two of them carried on down the halls further and when Malia split off, disappearing down a hallway of her own, Lydia continued to lead him.

It wasn't until they reached the locker room that Jordan finally set his device down on the top shelf of one of the stalls. He looked around the room, taking a quick count of everyone within the room and then he made his way towards the door, hoping to get away from Lydia without incident. He still wanted to call Ryan and let her know that everything was okay so far, but that was something he wanted to do in private.

"Where are you going to be?" Lydia questioned before he could sneak out of the locker room.

"I was thinking I'd just stay where I parked." Jordan answered quickly and took a step towards the door. "Unless you have a better idea?"

"Whatever works best for you." Lydia stated.

Without responding, Jordan took off out of the locker room and headed back down the hallways, following the path that he had taken to get to the rest of the teens. As soon as he was back outside, he let out a sigh of relief, thanking the heavens that Lydia hadn't tried to get too close to him, and when he was standing next to his vehicle, he pulled out his cell phone.

Ryan was supposed to be done work by now but he was fully aware of how her job worked, which was much the same as his. If she was needed, she'd stay and work, and who knew when that was a factor? When he dialed the familiar number, he listened to it ringing and when it eventually went to her voicemail, he left a quick and simple message.

"Hey Ry, it's just me, I'll call you when I'm on my way home. I love you."

With that, he hung up and tucked the phone into the pocket on his jacket. Surveying the area one last time before he pulled his gun out, he nodded his approval. So far, so good. He was in an open space which would provide him with enough room to fight any threats if they happened to come after him and he was near his car, which would provide cover if things went south.

Stepping around to the front of his vehicle, he pulled his gun out from the back of his pants and made sure that it was ready to go; the safety was off, the clip was loaded and he was rearing to go. Now all he needed was a threat, except he didn't want to actually deal with any threats at all, no, he wanted to make it home in one piece, without injury, yes, Ryan would appreciate that.

Once he was confident that his gun was good to go, he tucked it back into his pants and peeled off his jacket. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the garment flying into the vehicle where it fell down and came to rest on the front seat. Crossing his arms over his chest, he stood guard, waiting for something to happen but secretly hoping that _nothing_ would.

After standing guard outside of his vehicle for a little while, Jordan felt his mind drifting. He knew that distractions weren't good but he couldn't help it, Ryan seemed to be on his mind almost all the time lately. He was excited to see what their future held and he wanted them to be a happy family, but he also wanted Ryan, Kylie and the baby to be safe.

And how could they be truly safe where there were Dread Doctors and chimeras running amuck in Beacon Hills?

He hoped that Scott's plan would work, he wanted it to so bad, and if it didn't, well he didn't want to think about the danger that would still be lurking in the small town. If he could, Jordan would've locked Ryan and Kylie in the house and stood guard himself if it meant that nothing would ever hurt them, but that wasn't realistic, not even a little bit.

Shaking his head, Jordan reached out and pulled the door to his vehicle open. He then climbed up and sat in the driver's seat while he continued to look out at the school. So far there was no sign of anything happening but that didn't meant that the Dread Doctors weren't nearby. There were way too many entrance points that he couldn't see for him to definitively conclude that they weren't around.

Blowing out a breath, Jordan dropped his gaze away from the school for just a split second. When he locked his eyes on the object on the floor though, he knew that he had to start figuring things out. The playing card that he had been fidgeting with the night that he had taken Kylie to his apartment was lying face down on the floor of his car. Jordan ducked down and grabbed the edge of it, sitting back and holding the card in front of his face. He flipped it over in his hand and studied the sight of the queen of diamonds looking back at him.

"I won't hurt her." Jordan shook his head and his mind continued to think of Kylie. After Ryan had informed him that she believed it was safer if he wasn't left alone with the little girl, he had been a little sad. He understood exactly where Ryan was coming from, and he agreed with her one hundred percent, but he had found himself looking forward to taking care of Kylie on his own. "I won't hurt anyone."

Eventually peeling his eyes off the card, he peeked over to the passenger seat and had to resist the urge to reach out and touch the little girl sitting there. She wasn't real, she couldn't be real but Kylie was staring right back at him, her eyes wide with excitement. She was with her grandfather the last he heard, she had to be with Ryan by now and if not, she'd still be with Ken. There was no way that this was real, _she_ wasn't real, but that didn't mean that the fear of him hurting her wasn't.

When Kylie disappeared, he sucked in a breath and squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them though, Kylie's seat had been taken over by Lydia. She was here, but she was supposed to be in the school though, she wasn't real either, he would've heard the door opening if she was.

But he hadn't, no, she wasn't really there with him, his mind was simply playing tricks on him. It was when he felt a slight pressure on his wrist that he broke eye contact with her, glancing down to where he swore he felt something. Her hand was running up his arm, drawing his attention in more but Jordan wasn't fooled, not completely.

Her hand moved up his arm, when it touched his shoulder, he looked back up at her face and wondered what the hell was happening to him. None of this was real, Kylie hadn't been there seconds ago and now Lydia couldn't possibly be next to him, except when he squeezed his eyes shut, he could still feel the pressure on his arm.

His eyes popped open and he came face to face with Ryan, who was looking at him with a curious expression on her face. No, no she definitely wasn't real, was she? What was going on and why was he seeing things?

She leaned in towards him, his hand found its place on her lower back and when she closed the distance between their lips, he found himself enjoying the kiss. Her hands came up and pressed against the side of his neck and she deepened the kiss, moving up and over him.

Pausing and pulling away, she freed him off his shirt and he ripped the front of hers open but there was no time to stop and try to figure things out, he was too distracted, too tempted by her lips. Soon enough she was kissing him again, Ryan was kissing him with reckless abandon and there wasn't anything that could stop them now. He wanted her, which only increased as she raked her finger nails down his chest.

In desperate need of air, he leaned back but his eyes widened in fear at the sight of not Ryan but Lydia, whose skin was black and seared from what looked like a flame. Okay, okay, this wasn't good, this was terrifying, but Jordan found himself thankful that it wasn't Ryan that he was hurting physically. He didn't want to kiss Lydia, he wanted to kiss Ryan but if it meant that she'd be burned-

There was no chance for him to think about Ryan anymore, not when Lydia's charred hands pressed against the side of his face hard. His attention was forced to Lydia and her eyes widened slightly as she leaned in, going for another kiss but this wasn't what he wanted.

His hand shot out and came into contact with the front window, breaking him out of his trance. Lydia disappeared in front of his eyes and when he looked down at his chest, he was pleased to find his shirt still on and intact.

Whatever the hell had just happened had hit way too close to his heart.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Ryan had been up to talk to the ultrasound technician as soon as her shift was over, she had booked her appointment for the following week after her shift was finished and headed back down to the main floor, fully prepared to head home for the night, after picking up Kylie from her dad's house of course. Everything seemed to be going according to plan, except when she reached the main floor; she immediately locked her eyes on Melissa McCall.

Melissa, who was at the desk in front of the sheriff, was exactly who she wanted to talk to. She might have answers to some of Ryan's questions regarding the Dread Doctors and what the hell they were doing in Beacon Hills. Yes, Ryan wasn't going to give up the chance to gain some information on the newest supernatural beings residing in Beacon Hills.

"Melissa!" Ryan called out to her and picked up her pace, closing in on the sheriff and her friend. When she was at the edge of the desk, Melissa waved her forward and Ryan came to a stance next to her female friend. "Good evening Sheriff."

"How're you doing?" He asked right back and she offered him a shrug in response.

"Can't really complain, I guess. I was just up booking myself an ultrasound." She answered. "Now I'm on my way home but see, I was sort of hoping to get some information on what the heck is going on around here and that's where my good friend Melissa McCall comes in."

"An ultrasound?" Melissa glanced sideways at Ryan. "Did you tell him yet?"

"I did actually." Ryan nodded her head and noticed that the sheriff was smiling at her. "Jordan and I are expecting."

"Well congratulations." The sheriff bowed his head and Ryan found herself smiling at the thought of having a baby with the one and only Jordan Parrish. Sure she was still scared, terrified even, but now that he knew, it was a lot easier to picture him and Ryan with a baby and even if it _was_ born supernatural, Jordan was right when he said they'd figure it out.

"So anyways, information." Ryan motioned her hand in the air. "What's going on around here?"

"I was also hoping to gain some insight into the same thing." The sheriff smiled at her and Ryan sidled up next to Melissa, slipping her arm around Melissa's shoulders in a gesture of comfort. "My thoughts were that maybe Miss McCall here could help me out with something, specifically involving the Dread Doctors."

"Mind if I listen in?" Ryan quipped and looked at the book in the sheriff's hold. She tried to get a better glance at the cover and when the sheriff noticed that she was trying to see what he had in his possession, he turned it towards the two females and rested the bottom of the book against the surface of the desk. "Is that what they look like?"

"Sure is." Melissa nodded her head yes. "They're pretty intimidating in real life."

"Wait, so you've…you've seen them?" Ryan turned her head to the side and looked at Melissa, wondering what the hell she had missed and why Melissa hadn't mentioned anything about them to her before?

"All up close and personal." Melissa gave another nod and Ryan shook her head in disbelief.

"Boy the things I miss." She murmured and the sheriff lifted the book up, readjusting his hold on it. "So, are they actual doctors?"

"We don't know." Melissa offered with a slight shrug.

"This though," The sheriff tapped his index finger against the well-worn cover of the novel, "this book. This is what I keep coming back to, again and again."

"But still no leads?" Melissa questioned and looked over at Ryan before looking right back to the sheriff.

"Nothing, which makes me wonder if I've been coming at it from the wrong direction." The sheriff answered smoothly. Ryan took a few more seconds and studied the front cover of the book one more time. The things on the front were terrifying, with ugly metal hunks covering their faces and creepy looking glass pieces covering one of the Dread Doctor's eyes. Ryan fought off the urge to shiver and instead focused on the conversation in front of her.

"What do you mean?" Melissa countered.

"What angle have you been looking at?" Ryan added and reached out with her left hand, running her thumb along the spine of the book. The sheriff handed it over to her and she flipped through the pages, taking in the sight of the yellowing paper and the fading words.

"Well, the whole time I've been looking at this and I've been thinking 'science fiction', but they're not Dread Scientists, they're Dread Doctors." The sheriff stated and Ryan flipped the whole book over, glancing at the back cover before handing him the book right back. It was too freaky, too creepy to keep looking at and she figured that it was safest in the hands of the town sheriff.

"So now you're looking for a medical connection?" Melissa tossed out.

"As opposed to a supernatural connection?" Ryan looked between her friend and her boyfriend's boss. "They _are_ supernatural though, right? I mean, they're creating hybrids essentially, correct me if I'm wrong here. I just assumed they were supernatural, they're not like weird humans who have psychopathic tendencies or anything?"

"They're definitely supernatural." Melissa chuckled. "Very much so."

"Okay, got it. So these supernatural Dread Doctors are doing what exactly, aside from creating chimeras?"

"That's all that we can conclude at this time." The sheriff threw in. "They're like mad scientists, at least that's how I'd describe them. The chimeras that they're creating are like sick experiments."

"So they're turning people into chimeras?" Ryan cocked her head to the side as she tried to understand what was going on in more detail, the sheriff nodded his head yes but she could tell that he wasn't totally confident in his answer. "But are these people that they're experimenting on human or are they already supernatural?"

"That's where everything sort of gets blurry." The sheriff stated. "We're not really sure what to make of the chimeras, or the Dread Doctors at this point in time."

"Oh, I see, sort of. So now you," Ryan pointed towards the sheriff, "think that you should be looking for a medical connection instead of a supernatural connection, right?"

"Or medical condition: something that Tracy, Lucas and Donovan could've all had in common." The sheriff corrected. Ryan sucked in a breath and tried to keep everything relatively straight. She was grateful to be a part of the supernatural, it definitely helped explain a lot of the weird things that she had gone through, but another part of her thought that maybe she had been happier when she didn't really know what was going on.

Obviously things had come to a head a while ago and it had started to get harder and harder to deny the strangeness of certain situations, but until that point, Ryan had figured that ignorance was bliss. The less she knew, the less she was involved.

"What happened to Tracy, Lucas and Donovan?" Ryan pondered and all of a sudden both the sheriff and Melissa were looking right at her.

"Oh sweetie, no one told you?" Melissa cooed sympathetically and Ryan tipped her head to the side in confusion. "They didn't make it."

"They didn't make it…" Ryan echoed her words back at her and shook her head. "You mean they died?"

"We believe they were killed." The sheriff said in an extremely low tone. "But see, if I can figure out the connection between them, then maybe I can figure out…well anything."

"And you came here to do that." Ryan nodded her understanding and looked sideways at her colleague. "Looks like the fate of the world rests on yours shoulders now."

Melissa scoffed but brought her eyes back to the sheriff, looking right into his eyes. She took a few seconds and glanced down the hallway in both directions to make sure that there weren't any prying eyes or ears and when she felt comfortable, she opened her mouth to speak.

"You're not asking me to hand over medical files without a court order, are you?" Melissa lowered her voice and leaned in towards the sheriff.

"I would never ask you to do that." The sheriff also leaned in closer, the two of them still trying to keep their conversation away from prying ears. Ryan simply watched and listened, hoping that maybe she could ignore her blazing curiosity for the time being and head home, but there was still so much she didn't know, so much she _wanted_ to know.

"Good because they may take away this key card," Melissa lifted up her access card, which allowed her to go where not everyone was allowed. Ryan had a similar key card but hers was tucked safely in her bag in the lounge.

"I have one too." Ryan added in a whisper.

"Our key cards allow us access to medical records." Melissa's eyes widened and the sheriff glanced from the card in her hold to the older woman's eyes. "Do you want to see how the key card works?"

"I would love to see how the key card works." The sheriff responded with a mischievous smile. Ryan shook her head at the exchange and when Melissa glanced over to her, she lifted a finger up and held it in front of her lips, silently telling Ryan to shush.

"Okay, I'm going to head home." Ryan smiled and raised her hands in surrender. "You two have fun _not_ getting into trouble."

"Of course, you know me, I _always_ follow the rules." Melissa countered.

"Sure you do." Ryan rolled her eyes and took off around the desk, leaving the sheriff and her friend to their own devices. She continued to wander down the hall, fighting off the urge to laugh as she briefly overheard Melissa instruct the sheriff to follow her.

When Ryan glanced back to the desk, she let out a snort when she found that the two of them had disappeared. Without further ado, Ryan made her way to the lounge and headed inside, freeing her phone from her purse and checking her messages. She listened in to her voicemail, specifically the one that Jordan had left her, and with a smile on her face, she gathered up the rest of her things and left the hospital feeling a little bit better.

She had an ultrasound appointment, she had a man in her life who was happy about being a dad and she had a daughter who was currently in the care of her own loving father.

Ryan couldn't help but smile at her luck.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Maybe Jordan's starting to redeem himself in your opinion?_**

 ** _Thank you to everyone reading, enjoying and reviewing! It means so much that there are so many of you!_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Well thanks :)_**

 ** _DJDragon: Ryan will definitely start to get more involved come 5B. Thank you so much!_**

 ** _realawesome: The progress of the pregnancy, huh, well, it'll be good, that's all I'm going to say hehe :)_**

 ** _LoveFiction2016: Phew, I was worried that with all the anticipation and anxiety surrounding the big reveal that it'd fall flat._**


	62. Chapter 62

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 62:_**

Learning from the last time that Jordan had come home late, he hadn't tried to be as quiet, at least if he was loud and seemingly unthreatening, then maybe he wouldn't have to see Kylie with that terrified look on her face that still haunted him. At the same time though, he wasn't purposely trying to make noise, he simply wasn't taking extra measures to be stealthy, so when he stepped into the bedroom and spotted Ryan sound asleep on their bed, he couldn't help but smile.

The hall light had been turned on as soon as he hit the foot of the stairs and when he reached the top, he had peered over to get a good look at Kylie's door, which was shut nearly all the way, her nightlight just barely filtering into the hallway. Jordan had shaken his head with a smile and merely continued on his way to the bedroom, which is where he stood, looking down at the woman he loved, the woman who was carrying his baby.

If he was concerned about the fact that he couldn't remember anything that had happened between leaving the school parking lot and arriving home, he wasn't going to show it. Ryan didn't need to see how utterly freaked out he was by the fact that he had blacked out again, and if he could help it, she'd never find out at all. She had enough to deal with on her own and now that he knew she was pregnant, he was going to do everything that he could to protect her, even if that meant keeping a few things to himself.

Jordan gently lowered himself down to sit on the edge of the bed and ran his hand up over her shoulder, waking her up as he did so. She moved underneath his touch and when her eyes opened, she let out a yawn. Of course she'd be tired, she had been sound asleep when he walked into the house, except now that he was home, he wanted to make sure that she was okay.

"What time is it?" She asked in a mumble and lifted her one arm up, over her head. He smiled at her and waited patiently as she sat up in the pillows, running her hands over her face to try to clear up the fuzziness from having been sleeping.

"A little before four." Jordan answered and she studied him, sitting in front of her. His skin was covered in black ash, very similar to the time that he had been trapped in his cruiser and set on fire by his very own partner. Before he knew what she was doing, her eyes widened and she leaned in, sniffing him.

"Did you get set on fire again?" She hissed, desperate to know the answer.

Had someone tried to kill him again? Was this what their future held? Would whoever was out there try to get rid of Jordan until they succeeded or would they eventually give up and move on, leaving them to enjoy their family?

"I don't think so." Jordan shook his head and she ghosted her fingers over his bare chest.

"Where are your clothes?" She tipped her head to the side. Any other time that she found him nearly naked would have prompted her to start something but this time, with his skin blackened and covered in ash, she wasn't about to play around with him. "Jordan, what's going on?"

"I don't remember." He murmured softly and dropped his gaze down to his feet.

"What do you mean by that? Like you have a hard time remembering bits and pieces or-"

"I don't know. The last thing that I can recall is sitting in my car at the high school parking lot and that was _hours_ ago. I feel exactly like I did the other night, when you tried calling me and I didn't pick up."

"You think you blacked out again?" She leaned in closer to him and hesitantly rested her chin on his shoulder. Pressing a reassuring kiss against the side of his neck, he let out a sigh and relaxed slightly. Okay, so he knew that he had to tell her something but that didn't mean she was going to get the whole story. He couldn't just keep secrets from her, especially not now. "When did you start remembering again?"

"When I pulled in to the driveway." He answered, tensing under her touch. Her fingers bit into his shoulder and she used him to haul herself forward, out from under the covers. When she settled down behind him, her arms draping over his shoulders, he leaned into her hold and sucked in an anxious breath.

"Are you just getting home now?" Ryan questioned and her eyes flitted to the clock on the table next to the bed. "Jordan, it's almost _four_ in the morning."

"I know and the last time I looked at the clock it was way before midnight. I'm missing a few hours."

She let out a sigh of her own and ran her palms over his chest, feeling his dirty skin. When she pulled her hands away, she looked down at them and shook her head at the ash on her palm.

"You're so dirty." She remarked and made quick work of hopping off the bed. He watched her move towards the lamp, flipping it on and lighting up the room better. As soon as she could see him clearly, her eyes widened at the sight, he was covered in ash, _everywhere_ that she could see.

If he hadn't been set on fire then what had happened? And why couldn't he remember any of it?

Maybe he _had_ been set on fire and maybe he couldn't remember who did it? Was that possible? Was there someone out there that had set his body ablaze with the intention of bringing out whatever supernatural creature that he was? But then, what purpose would that serve? Whatever had happened to him hadn't effected his physical well-being, he was still in one piece and relatively unscathed. Aside from the fact that he was dirty as sin, he seemed to be in decent condition.

"I think I'll go have a shower." He nodded and even though she knew he was trying to tease her, to keep the conversation light, she didn't find any of it remotely funny.

"Can you use the shower in the basement? Last time you used my tub to get the ash off of you I had to clean it for a week before it sparkled again." She countered and moved to take a stance in front of him. Jordan latched his hands onto her hips and held on to her, not wanting her to move until he looked _her_ over.

She seemed to be handling everything well and maybe it was partly because it was so early in the morning, maybe she simply wanted to push off talking about it until the morning. She was clearly tired and he couldn't blame her if that was the case, but that didn't stop him from needing to know if she was okay.

"Is it asking too much for you to join me in the shower?" Jordan asked in a low whisper. She set her palms on the sides of his neck and leaned down, pressing a kiss against his lips. When she leaned back though, he slipped his own arms around her waist and buried his face into her chest. "Please?"

"Jordan." She practically whined and his grip on her tightened. He tipped his head back and met her eyes. She wasn't going to deny that she wanted to shower with him just as much as he wanted to shower with her, but the fact of the matter was that it was still the middle of the night.

She'd wind up getting her hair wet and then she'd have to try to sleep with soaking wet locks, or she could get the blow-dryer out and risk waking Kylie up with the noise, if she didn't wake up from all the other noises of course. The two of them would have to make it down to the basement without disturbing the little girl and even if they did, she'd still be liable to wake up while they were in the shower and at the thought of Kylie making her way down the stairs by herself, Ryan flinched.

"It's okay." Jordan shook his head and loosened his grip on her. She blew out a breath and ran her fingers through his hair, pulling her hands away only to discover that they were even dirtier and darker than before.

"If I say yes, we have to leave a bunch of lights on so that Kylie doesn't wake up and freak out." Ryan murmured. "I think maybe I should invest in some bells."

"Bells?" Jordan cocked his head to the side. "What for?"

"Her." Ryan's lips turned upwards into a smile. "That way I'll always know where she is. I should probably invest in a pair for you too."

"Probably." He scoffed. "Come on, let's go get me cleaned up."

She nodded her head in agreement and took a step back, giving him the room he needed to stand up. When he was on his feet and glancing down at her, she took her bottom lip in between her teeth and studied his face. Her hand came out and she ran it across his cheek, smearing the ash that had been residing there.

"You scare me." Ryan whispered.

"I know. I scare me too." Jordan confessed.

He took her hand in his, made sure that he had his phone with him and turned towards the door to the bedroom. Ryan followed along behind him, the two of them leaving the lamp on as well as the hall light in case Kylie woke up. At least if there was some sort of light, she hopefully wouldn't be as scared but Ryan figured that her little girl would still be somewhat afraid, especially if she heard noises that she couldn't explain.

As quickly and quietly as they could, Jordan and Ryan made their way down to the main floor, where Ryan paused to flip the front hall light on, then they carried on down to the basement, right into the extra bathroom with the shower that she didn't mind getting dirty, at least not when the other option was her elegant soaker tub.

Ryan stripped out of her pajamas and left her clothes in a pile on the edge of the sink, she took a quick look at the towel rack to make sure that they had towels and then she stepped into the stall, starting the water up. Jordan stepped in behind her and shut the glass door, closing them inside. As soon as the water hit him, his hands were on Ryan, his palms were running up and down her sides, his chest was flush with hers and before she knew it, his lips were against hers in a fiery kiss.

Her back collided with the wall and water continued to cascade over them, freeing Jordan's skin from the ash that coated him. She pushed back though and he relented, giving in to her and moving so that his side was against the wall and Ryan's lips were still on his, only this time she was kissing him right back.

"Ryan." He breathed her name out and broke their kiss. She stepped away and glanced up at him through her lashes. "God you're beautiful."

Instead of saying anything in response, she reached her hands out and grabbed hold of his arm, tugging him forward. The water continued to rinse him off while she moved on to her tiptoes, preparing herself for another kiss, except the kiss never happened and at the sound of his phone outside of the shower, he went rigid.

"The only things that come from late night phone calls are bad." She pointed out with a sad look on her face, her mind drifting to the night that she had received the call about Cole's death. "You should answer that."

"Okay. You should get back to bed, I've already kept you up longer than I should've." He stated and Ryan turned the water off, stepping out of the stall and nabbing one of the towels off the rack. She made quick work of wrapping it around her body and just as he was stepping out too, she handed him the phone.

Jordan wiped his hand on the edge of her towel and then took hold of the phone, hitting the answer button and lifting it up to his ear. He opened his mouth to speak first but the person on the other end cut him off.

"Where the hell are you?" Jordan recognized the voice, it belonged to Deputy Clark and boy did she sound frustrated.

"Home, it's four in the morning." Jordan countered and stole a look over at Ryan, who was gathering up their clothes from the edge of the sink.

"Stilinski's calling everyone in." Clark shot back and Jordan flinched. "There's another body."

Another body, oh no, there were already too many people that had died recently and maybe he was more on edge because of all the unknowns floating around Beacon Hills. Either way, another body meant that they were far from figuring things out.

"You mean another murder." Jordan corrected, knowing that people didn't _just_ die from natural causes in the town. At the word 'murder', Ryan turned to face him, offering him a towel in the process. He squished the phone between his ear and his shoulder and wrapped the towel around his waist. "I'll be right there."

Hanging up, his eyes met Ryan's and she took a step towards him, "be careful."

"I will." Jordan nodded his head. "You get back to bed okay?"

"I will." She nodded back at him.

Without another word between them, Ryan took the clothes in her hand and walked out of the bathroom, heading for the stairs. Jordan hung back for a few seconds and looked at the cell phone in his hand, cursing the world for forcing him to leave Ryan at a time like this.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Jordan flipped the light off in the bathroom and made his way after Ryan with the plan of getting dressed and heading out. Spending time with Ryan would just have to wait.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

"We're going to try doing this a different way from here on out." The sheriff announced from his place at the head of the room. He was standing just outside of his open office door looking out at all of the deputies who had managed to make it to the station after being called in, and Jordan was mixed in with the rest of them, just another face in the crowd. Except he knew he was special, he knew that the sheriff would be relying on him more than the others and it all came down to the fact that he was the only deputy that was aware of the existence of the supernatural.

He had his eyes locked on his boss, wondering what he was talking about specifically and why he had called in _everyone_. Okay, well no, he knew why the others had been called in, the fact that there were multiple open homicide cases that were linked was enough to warrant the overtime, it was just a shame that the killers had more to do with the supernatural and less to do with normal behaviours surrounding homicidal maniacs. Did these other deputies realize how much danger they were all in when it came to the weird things that happened in Beacon Hills? Were they aware of how easily a supernatural creature could seriously harm them?

Jordan wasn't sure how helpful the rest of the deputies were going to be but then again, he wasn't entirely certain what the sheriff _really_ needed them for. Maybe he wasn't actually going to involve them in the supernatural side, maybe they were here to do their jobs. There were a few different things that came to mind that the deputies could possibly be at work for; he could split them up and create pairs who would then look into each homicide, or maybe the sheriff was more concerned with the latest incident and he was going to get all available man power looking into it in order to try and prevent another murder.

"Someone's taking the bodies and we're not going to let it happen… _again_." The sheriff's voice was powerful and commanding and Jordan found himself hanging on to each and every word. "If we can, maybe we can figure out who's responsible for the bodies disappearing."

This man was brave in Jordan's eyes, no matter what threat came at his town, he still did his hardest to try and keep as many safe as he possibly could. But guarding a body, well that was certainly one for the record books. Making sure no one took the latest casualty didn't seem like the most effective way to use each and every deputy he could but maybe if they could manage to get a clue as to who _was_ stealing the bodies, then they could solve the case and keep everyone else safe.

"Sir, do you have a plan?" Deputy Clark asked after she had raised her hand into the air. "A plan of action?"

"The body's going to be in the morgue, inside the hospital. I want deputies stationed at check points, one on each floor and one at every door between the main entrance and the morgue itself." The sheriff explained and Jordan took a step forward but didn't break away from the crowd. "I want every single one of you armed with a shotgun in addition to your standard issue weapons, am I clear?"

"Crystal Sir." Came a few people's voices in response. Jordan hung back and watched as the sheriff waved his hand in the air, signaling for the deputies to go ahead and grab their extra weaponry.

Once the room was in the midst of clearing out, Jordan sauntered over to the sheriff and took up a stance next to him, looking out at the gang of his fellow co-workers that were going to be keeping an eye out on the newest body.

Jordan crossed his arms over his chest and immediately his mind drifted to what the sheriff had said: they were going to be guarding the morgue, the same morgue that was in the hospital, where Ryan happened to work. Part of Jordan was hoping that it would be late enough in the day that Ryan would be done before they all arrived but he knew, especially considering the things that happened to him lately, that it wouldn't work out that way at all.

She'd still be there when they all charged in with shotguns in hand, she'd probably see him before he managed to slip past her and then she'd ask questions before telling him to be careful. He didn't want her anywhere near the hospital but he didn't want to alarm her, nor did he want to scare her too badly. After all, it was supposed to be a simple bodyguard mission, literally.

"Are we clearing out any of the staff?" Jordan questioned in a low tone and the sheriff turned to glance at Jordan. He lifted his hands up and blew out a breath but didn't break eye contact with Jordan.

"I wasn't planning on it." The sheriff answered simply.

"You and I both know that this isn't going to end up going very smoothly."

"I know."

"And you still don't want to at least _consider_ clearing out the staff?" Jordan pressed, his mind stuck on Ryan. She didn't need to be put in danger, and neither did any of the other hospital staff, but that being said, it wasn't like the sheriff could just shut down the hospital, no, that could potentially scare the whole town and send it into chaos.

"Parrish, I don't want to interfere on the day to day goings on within the hospital." The sheriff stated firmly. Jordan shook his head and blew out a breath of his own. This whole entire situation had him on edge, he didn't want anyone else getting hurt and he certainly didn't want them getting hurt over a dead body.

Whoever had been killed was already dead, it wasn't worth risking so many people's lives just to save a body, was it?

But it was so much more than just protecting a body. If they happened to figure out who was taking them, then maybe they could solve the case, maybe they could save another life, and wasn't that the part of the job that _was_ worth it?

"Are we at least informing the staff of the potential danger?" Jordan quipped.

"What do you want me to tell them exactly? That there are half werewolf, half kanima teenagers running around Beacon Hills being targeted? Or that there's some freaky supernatural doctors turning kids into _chimeras_." The sheriff countered, his tone laced with sarcasm. "If this is about Ryan Sloane, I won't stop you from mentioning it to her, but other than her, and maybe a select few other hospital staff members, no one's going to be told much at all."

Jordan nodded his understanding and sucked in a nervous breath. He just wanted Ryan to be okay, he didn't want to have to find her locked in a closet again, nor did he want to have to try and console her after she got off work traumatized because of something she had seen at work, something along the lines of a young boy eating the intestines of a deputy. No, no he didn't want Ryan to become any more fearful of the world than she already was, especially not since she had sort of started coming to terms with everything.

"Do we have any leads at all as to who's taking the bodies?" Jordan asked in a low tone. "Or what exactly these people _were_?"

"Nope." The sheriff shook his head no. "Just know that they're all chimeras, but you and I are the only ones that are aware of that."

With another nod of his head, he made a move to step away but the sheriff reached out and set his hand on his shoulder. Jordan paused and turned his head around to face him, studying the sheriff's wary expression. The poor man was probably up to his neck in cases that involved the supernatural and there wasn't much he could do about it at all. Plus there was the added stress of his son being involved in almost everything weird that was going on, Jordan couldn't even begin to wonder how much the sheriff was affected.

"Be careful sheriff." Jordan said softly but his tone was firm. "I mean it."

"I know." The sheriff let out a sigh and pulled his hand away from Jordan's shoulder. "I'll give you five minutes when we get to the hospital to find your girlfriend and give her a head's up, then I'm going to need you in position."

"Understood. Where _is_ my position?"

"I want you right outside the door, I want you between the body and every other deputy in that hospital." The sheriff remarked. "If anything happens, I'm counting on you."

"Where will you be?"

"Me?" The sheriff lifted a finger and pointed at himself. "I'll be right there with you, right outside the morgue."

Jordan held his breath and let his eyes fall shut for a few seconds. He tried to keep himself composed and after a short sigh, he pressed forward, heading for the weapon locker. If he was going to be right there, he wanted to get his shotgun and get to the hospital.

He gave a silent prayer that Ryan was already on her way out the door and on her way home, at least then she'd be safe, well safer than if she was still at work, but he knew it wouldn't work out that way. If he could just call her on the drive over, maybe he could convince her to get the hell out of there, but would that scare her too much? Was that taking it a step too far?

He would be between Ryan and the body, and so would the sheriff. Nothing was going to happen to her on the main floor, so long as she _knew_ what was going on outside the morgue. Yes, he just had to tell her what was happening, as long as she was aware of the deputies guarding the body then she could prepare herself accordingly.

With a frustrated sigh escaping through his lips, he surged forward and disappeared into the gun storage in search of a decent shotgun. It was the only thing keeping Ryan, and everyone else, safe.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _The sheriff's plan is being put into action, how did you guys like this chapter?_**

 ** _Again, many thanks go out to those of you reading, enjoying and reviewing this story! It means so much that there are so many of you!_**

 ** _DJDragon: I think that's pretty much exactly what's happening haha. I think there might be some action coming up from season 5B that you'll like in regards to having to choose between Lydia and Ryan. Thank you so much for the continued reviews!_**

 ** _Alice Williams: Good good, I'm glad that you love how family oriented he is and I'm hoping he can stay on the path too. Thank you so much for the wonderful review, it made my day and it gave me a lot to think about ;)_**

 ** _realawesome: Uh, how long is she going to be pregnant for...well she'll be pregnant for the rest of the story, I haven't gotten it lumped into chapters yet but it'll be quite a while. I hope that helps... Thanks so much for the review and I thank you for noticing that Jordan is, in fact, trying to step up and realize what he wants._**

 ** _LoveFiction2016: Why thank you :)_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: You and me both haha_**


	63. Chapter 63

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 63:_**

The last time Ryan had seen Jordan, or heard from him, was just after four that morning. Seeing him at this point in time though, watching as he was walking into the hospital in the single-file line with the other deputies, a menacing looking shotgun in his hand, she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. The sight of him in front of her while she was at work had thrown her off completely.

This hadn't been in the plan, this wasn't what was supposed to happen. She was fully aware that he had been called in to work earlier that morning but she hadn't been expecting him to march into the hospital, armed with the large shotgun, along with almost every other deputy in the ranks.

"Jordan!" She called out to him from across the hall. He paused and stepped out of line, motioning towards the sheriff who was leading the charge that he needed a minute. Jogging over, he lowered the gun down and let it point towards the floor while he held it next to his hip. She cocked her head to the side and took in the sight of him, silently wondering what the hell was going on and why he was all of a sudden here with an arsenal in his possession.

"Long shift today?" Jordan questioned and tried to keep his tone light and casual.

"What?" She narrowed her eyes in on him and took a step closer, decreasing the distance between their bodies. "No, you don't get to ask me questions, not if you're the one marching in here like Rambo."

"Sorry." He murmured and lifted his free hand up, tucking a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. "We're on guard duty."

"For what?" She retorted and scrunched up her nose.

"There's going to be a body being brought in, we're all supposed to watch it, keep an eye on it so that whoever's taking them doesn't get this one too." Jordan explained as quickly as he could. Ryan gave him a slight nod of her head and pointed towards the gun in his hand. The barrel was just a couple of inches away from the sterile tile floor and it was certainly something that she wasn't used to seeing him with. All in all though, it wasn't a bad sight to her, in fact, it might've even been a bit of a turn on.

"What's with the gun?" She asked and set her hands on her hips. "If you're going for terrifying, you've certainly nailed it."

"Extra precaution." He found himself smiling at her. "How come you're still here Ry? I thought you were on the day shift?"

"I am, I mean…no I am. I was done work about fifteen minutes ago." She answered with a small smile.

"How come you're still here though?" He pressed and took another step towards her, eliminating almost all of the space between their bodies. "If you were done fifteen minutes ago, how come you're not on your way home?"

She took her bottom lip in between her teeth and lifted her hands up, gripping the collar on his jacket and straightening it up. She let her palms fall flat against his shoulders, glanced both ways down the hall and moved onto her tiptoes while her voice dropped down to a whisper.

"I have an ultrasound appointment in half an hour." She smiled at him and he tipped his head to the side, rather concerned about the words that had just come out of her mouth.

"Yeah?"

"I was supposed to go later this week but they had a cancellation for today. I was going to call you and see if you could make it but then you showed up, shotgun in hand, while on the clock." She explained herself and lowered her feet back down so that they were flat on the floor. He sucked in an anxious breath but didn't break eye contact with her. "I just got off the phone with my dad and he's good to watch Kylie."

"I can see if I can't get away for a bit." Jordan offered and stole a look down the hallway where he could no longer see any of his fellow deputies. "You shouldn't have to go through that alone."

"It's fine." She shook her head and a smile took over on her lips. "You're clearly very busy being a hot deputy and all, I can handle this one by myself. I can always come find you after it's done-"

"Call me instead?" He cut in, his eyes widening at the idea of her being put directly in harm's way. "Maybe even call me right when you're about to go in? I can seriously try to slip away, even if it's just for a few minutes."

She dropped her gaze down to the floor and spotted the top of the shotgun in his grasp. She held her breath for a few seconds and considered the importance of his presence within the walls of the hospital. She felt a lot better knowing that he was there, he'd make sure that she was as safe as could be and if he slipped away, even if it _was_ just for a few minutes, she wouldn't be able to feel protected.

"It's okay, really." Ryan breathed the words out. "It's just a check-up type deal, nothing exciting's going to happen."

"Except that you'll get to see, and hear, our baby." Jordan pointed out with a sad smile.

"Right, well, there's that. Jordan it'll be fine, there's going to be other ultrasounds." She shook her head in amusement. "And I'll try to get a picture. At this point there's probably not much to see anyways."

"So no finding out what it is, girl or boy?"

"No." She giggled and ran her hands down his arms, pausing at his wrists and giving them a gentle squeeze. "That won't happen for another couple of months at least. Is there something that you're hoping for?"

Jordan locked his eyes with hers and held her gaze. Ryan let go of his wrists and let her arms dangle at her sides but he reached out with his free hand and slipped his fingers in between hers.

"It doesn't matter to me." Jordan said in a whisper. "What about you? What are you hoping for?"

"I don't know." Ryan offered with a shrug. "I haven't really had time to actually think about that, I've been too busy trying to figure out how and when to tell you."

"And now that you have, you can finally fantasize about what you want." He smiled and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Does Kylie know yet?"

Ryan shrugged at him in response, "she was there when I was talking to my dad about it but I don't know that she was paying much attention. I don't think she really knows, I figured we could officially tell her together."

Jordan nodded his head yes in response, then he reluctantly pulled his hand away from hers. She sucked in a breath and glanced down the hallway to where the rest of the deputies had disappeared down not too long ago. She knew that he had to go, he had a job to do, but she didn't want to leave his side, she wanted to stay with him, she wanted him to go with her to the ultrasound so that they could talk about what they wanted together. She would be happy with a girl or a boy but in her head, if they did happen to have a boy, she wanted his middle name to be Cole, and that was something that she was going to have to talk to Jordan about at some point.

She wasn't very far along though, there would be plenty of time for name discussions later, especially when she wasactually able to find out what they were having.

"I should go." Jordan sighed and Ryan waved her hand towards the hall. "Call me as soon as you're going in?"

"How about I just call you after?" She countered. "And then if you don't answer, I'll just leave a message and see you when you get home?"

"Okay, sounds like a plan." Jordan leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers, feeling her relaxing from his kiss. When he pulled away seconds later, she looked into his eyes and a genuine smile formed on her lips. "Good luck."

"Thanks. Be careful." She remarked and Jordan took a step to the side, attempting to move away from her.

He paused, turned back to face her and smiled right back at her. Before he knew it, she moved towards him and gave him a light shove on the arm, forcing him in the direction of the hallway. She watched him go and he glanced back before rounding the corner, catching sight of her one last time before she disappeared.

Jordan rushed on ahead and tried to find his fellow deputies. It didn't take much for him to locate them, they were all gathered around the side entrance where the body itself would be dropped off in mere minutes. He fell in behind Deputy Clark and stole a look over at the sheriff, who gave him a nod in response. Waiting minutes until the door opened to the outside, he held on tightly to his shotgun and said another little prayer, wanting Ryan to be okay and safe while in the midst of her appointment.

He felt bad for not being able to be there with her but she had told him that it was okay, there would be plenty more ultrasound appointments in the future, but that didn't make him feel any better. Part of him wanted to ask the sheriff if maybe he could go be with her and join up with them when it was all over and done with, but he knew that he had a responsibility. This was his job, he was being paid to watch over a body and he wasn't going to let his boss, or his co-workers down.

Ryan _would_ be okay, she could handle an appointment on her own, and then later, when they were at home together, she'd tell him all about it and they'd make plans for the next one, together.

"Is everyone clear on where they're going to be?" The sheriff asked, his voice carrying through the hallway. "If you're not sure, tell me now."

"We're all good sir." Deputy Clark responded and Jordan glanced around, seeing the rest of his deputies nodding along with her.

Seconds later, the door opened, and in came the body. It was on a gurney, wrapped up tightly so that no one could see the face, but Jordan knew who it was, he knew the name of the person underneath the bag, but he wasn't going to think too much about it.

Once the orderly was behind the body and he was pushing it through the hallways, he moved it towards the elevator and waited for the doors to open. Jordan waited patiently alongside the orderly and when the doors finally opened with a ding, he stepped inside along with a few of the other deputies.

They rode down to the basement and when the doors dinged open one more time, the orderly pushed the body forward and with each set of doors that the body passed through, another deputy fell off their line and took their position, putting another layer of law enforcement protection between the body itself and the rest of the hospital.

By the time they actually reached the outside doors to the morgue, it was only Jordan, Clark and one other person. Clark fell off and took a stance on the outside of the doors and Jordan followed the body right into the morgue. Once the body was shifted from the gurney into the drawer, he watched carefully as it was slid closed, the door to the drawer falling shut as it moved inside. Stealing one last look at the man who had pushed the body through the hallways, he gave him a nod and turned his back towards the wall.

He spread his legs shoulder width apart and lifted his gun up, holding it across his abdomen and preparing himself for the worst. Whatever was going to happen, whether someone tried to steal the body, or they caught the person responsible, it was all up to fate. Nothing that he could do was going to change the outcome, he just hoped and prayed that there wouldn't be fatalities in the process.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Against Jordan's wishes, Ryan had decided to take a wander through the halls of the hospital with the hopes that maybe she'd run into him. Her ultrasound had gone fine, everything seemed to be okay, and since there was nothing for her to worry about, she had decided that talking to Jordan face to face would be better than calling him and most likely having to leave him a voicemail.

It wasn't until she had run into a familiar face that she even slowed down and considered what she was doing. Jordan had specifically told her to call him yet here she was, gallivanting through a hospital that was practically under lockdown. Every which way she turned, she spotted a deputy with a shotgun standing guard, but when she laid her eyes on Stiles Stilinski, the very sheriff's son himself, she wondered if maybe he could help her.

Did he know what was going on? Was he aware of what the deputies, as well as his dad, were up to?

"Hey Stiles!" She called out to him and ran her hands over her front, smoothing out her shirt and making sure that it wasn't too wrinkled. "How are you?"

Stiles stood up from his chair and met her as she moved towards him. He looked at her with a curious expression but when she got within a few feet of him, he forced an awkward smile onto his lips.

"I'm uh, fine, how are you?"

"Fine." Ryan shrugged and suddenly realized how awkward things really were between them. For the most part, any time she had run in to Stiles he had been with someone else, whether it was Scott, Jordan, or even Melissa, but here and now, with it being just the two of them, she felt it.

They weren't really friends, she just happened to know who he was because she had babysat him a few times when he was a kid, plus his dad was the sheriff, but that didn't seem to make things less tense between them.

"Are you looking for Parrish?" Stiles pressed and ran his hands over his thighs. He glanced down the hallway and spotted the nearest deputy, who he had been keeping an eye on since he took a seat in the lobby. "He's down in the morgue."

"I know." She let out a sigh and followed Stiles' gaze to the deputy down the hall.

"If I move any farther away, I can't hear his radio." Stiles confessed and Ryan nodded her understanding.

"Sounds like a good plan to me." She stated and hoped that he didn't get the wrong idea. She wasn't here to get him in trouble, she wasn't here to tell him to go home, she was merely thankful for a familiar face while all of the deputies were on guard. Maybe if she could convince him to go see his dad, then she could tag along, maybe- no, no that was wrong.

He didn't need to go see his dad and she certainly didn't need to encourage him to do so. She was supposed to be the adult here, she should've been focusing on making sure that he was safe and away from any potential harm.

"So…"

"So," she countered and pointed at the deputy down the hall, "hear anything interesting?"

"No, no not really." Stiles shook his head and tore his eyes away from the guy down the hall. "Nothing yet."

"Yet? Are you expecting something to happen?" She asked and leaned in closer to him.

"Not really." He shrugged. "I don't know. I'd be surprised if nothing happened though."

"Right, Beacon Hills." She nodded.

She didn't really know what to say to him and he seemed to be in the same predicament. An awkward silence fell over them and it wasn't until a scream sounded out from the deputy's radio down the hall that either one of them dared to move. Stiles jerked his entire body and made a move to head towards the stairwell but Ryan reached a hand out and latched onto his wrist.

"What are you-"

"I know a faster way." She cut him off and pointed down the opposite end of the hallway. "Trust me?"

Before she had a chance to let him answer, she took off in run in the direction that she had motioned in just seconds ago. Stiles ran along behind her and when she reached a door, she pushed it open and began descending the stairs faster than her legs would normally carry her. Stiles' footsteps echoed after her and together the two of them ran down to the floor that the morgue was on.

Before she pushed the door open though, she peered through the pane of glass within the door and spotted the entire hallway filling up with steam, or was that smoke? Stiles crowded the door behind her and she felt her chest press against the warm metal. Well that was weird, usually the metal doors in the hospital were cool but this was different, this wasn't normal.

"Wait." She hissed and waved her hand behind her, her palm connecting with his forearm. "Do you hear that?"

The alarm was blaring, screams were echoing from the hallway but the steam continued to erupt from the sprinklers. She felt Stiles push against her back and this time she stepped to the side, letting him have a look as well. He peered through the window and watched the movement in the hallway, his eyes landing on his dad. The sheriff was walking down the hall, his gun out in front of him as he waved it from side to side, trying to find out where the threat, if any, was coming from.

"Dad." Stiles gaped and Ryan set her hand on the doorknob. She twisted it and pulled it open, ushering Stiles out into the hallway.

"Jordan!" She called out, hoping to lay her eyes on him.

It didn't take long for her to locate him, in fact, once she was within a few feet of the sheriff, she spotted Jordan speaking with his boss. Ryan slowed her pace down and hung back, her hand latching onto Stiles' wrist and keeping him right near her.

"What?" Stiles turned to face her and she lifted a finger up, signaling for him to be quiet.

"Listen."

"Sheriff." She heard Jordan's voice loud and clear but it was flat and emotionless. What the hell was happening?

Suddenly she found her mind drifting to the night that he had come home without having heard his messages. He had claimed that he couldn't remember what happened and that he thought maybe he blacked out, but if this was somehow related, if his weird tone had anything to do with him not remembering-

"Parrish, what the hell is going on?" The sheriff barked but didn't back down. He did lower his gun though and kept his eyes trained on Jordan while the alarms continued to blare out around them.

"I think I saw the suspect."

Ryan took a step closer and Stiles moved with her. She listened carefully as Jordan's robotic, cold, voice was heard clearly and easily over the chaos. Whatever was going on in front of her, well, she wanted to know more, she wanted to find out what the hell was going and more importantly, she wanted to know what was wrong with Jordan and why he was acting super weird.

Ryan gave Stiles' arm a gentle shove and before he could ask her what she was doing, she took off next to him, the two of them closing in on the sheriff, and ultimately Jordan.

"Dad? Dad!" Stiles called out to him and she could hear the panic in his voice.

"Go get your son, Sheriff." At Jordan's words, Ryan froze in her spot. She kept her eyes trained on Jordan and watched as he disappeared into the smoky haze. She had lost him, seconds after finding him, he was gone, disappearing within the mayhem in the basement.

She sucked in a breath and immediately regretted it, the steam burning her lungs as she tried to catch her breath. She was scared, worried even and at the thought of something happening to Jordan, she shook her head and desperately prayed for things to turn out okay.

"Dad! Dad, the body." Stiles was frantic, the sound of his panicked tone pulled Ryan out of her head. She couldn't exactly blame him for being a little unnerved, the entire scene in front of her was pure madness, utter chaos, and she still wasn't sure what the hell was going on or, more importantly, where Jordan had disappeared too.

Hanging back, she shook her head and hoped that the alarm would stop sounding out soon enough. Giving in to her better judgement, she retreated back towards the stairwell and once she was inside, the door shut behind her, she sucked in a breath of air and felt the sweet relief as it filled her lungs. Without putting it off for another second, she broke out into a jog and made her way up the stairs, stepping out onto the first floor that she encountered.

It wasn't nearly as chaotic as it had been down near the morgue but people were still panicking, patients were clearly scared and the staff that she could see were nothing short of on high alert. She moved forward and blended in with the rest of the people on the floor, her only option now was to get the hell out of there before she wound up locked back in a closet, or face to face with the person stealing the bodies.

She rounded the corner and made a beeline for the door that would lead her back to the emergency department. She just had to get her stuff, then she was free to leave the hospital and maybe she'd call Jordan in the car before taking off for home.

Before she could make it to the lounge though, her eyes caught sight of something familiar, something out of place for where she was within the hospital. Jordan was not more than twenty yards away from her, a body dangling from his arms. Ryan froze and debated what she wanted to do.

She could follow him, sure, or she could ignore anything that she saw involving Jordan, but that wasn't what she really wanted to do. She wanted to know more, she wanted to know what he was doing and without hesitating for a second, she dug her cell phone out of her pocket and lifted it up. Ryan dialed Jordan's number and hit the call button but even as she waited for him to answer, she followed along behind him, listening to his phone ringing in his pocket.

He made absolutely no move to answer it, he was acting like he didn't even hear it, and Ryan abruptly ended the call, holding her phone in her hand instead. She continued to follow him through the hallways and when he reached a door that would lead him right outside and into the back parking lot, she rushed forward, stepping through the door just a couple of seconds after he did.

Her feet hit the pavement and Ryan surged on ahead, easily keeping pace with the walking Jordan not too far in front of her. She continued to watch him and when he rounded the end of the parking lot, she sucked in a breath and debated whether or not to follow him any further. She was so close to him yet so far and she didn't want to get in his way, especially if he wasn't acting like himself. Something weird was going on with him, she knew that much for sure.

When he had first stepped into the hospital, he had told her that they were going to see if the deputies couldn't protect the body from being taken, yet here he was carrying the same body out of the hospital. Did he really not know what he was doing, was he really in such a state that he didn't realize what he was doing at all?

She dialed his number again and listened to it ringing while she hugged the wall to the hospital. Rounding the corner of the building, she watched Jordan still carrying the body and _still_ ignoring her phone call. She let out a frustrated sigh and leaned her back against the wall, giving up on following him for the time being. She had enough to go on, she had enough to confront him, and with that thought, a smile crossed her face.

With the camera on her phone poised and ready to go, she peeked back around the corner, caught him in the screen and hit the capture button.

She had a photo of him, she had witnessed him with the body in his arms, and now all she had to do was figure out what the hell he was really doing, and _why_.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Thoughts?_**


	64. Chapter 64

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 64:_**

Kylie had been tucked into bed long before Jordan had arrived home. Ryan wasn't sure what she was expecting when he walked through the front door but Jordan's body was, yet again, completely covered in ash and he had a lost look on his face. She wasn't entirely surprised, she had witnessed him leaving the hospital without paying her any attention, which meant that he was most likely distracted, or not himself.

Ryan had been waiting in the living room all by herself, curled up on the couch with a bottle of water beside her, the ultrasound picture in her one hand and her phone resting gingerly on her thigh, while she waited for anyone to call her, more specifically Jordan. Sure she was tired, exhausted even, but she wanted to talk to Jordan, about a few things; for starters, she wanted to show him the sonogram of their baby but more importantly, she wanted to show him the picture she snapped of him leaving the hospital with the body in his arms.

Jordan wandered into the living room, still covered in ash, and stood in front of her, his eyes lingered on her face and Ryan continued to look down at the sonogram in her hand. Sucking in a breath, Ryan slowly moved her eyes upwards and took in the sight of him in front of her, a curious expression on her face while she tried to figure out where he had gone to after he left the hospital and before he had arrived home. She ran her finger along the edge of the sonogram and hesitantly offered it to him. Jordan looked from her face to the picture and then took hold of it, slipping it out of her hands and into his grasp.

"I came to show you that before I left the hospital." She said, her voice a soft whisper. Jordan lifted his gaze and studied the vacant patch of couch next to her. He was dirty though, his skin coated in ash, and he knew that she wouldn't appreciate it if he sat down and muddied up her couch.

"I was expecting a phone call." He countered, attempting to sound teasing but she shook her head at him. Jordan reluctantly handed her back the picture for fear that he would wreck it with ash. Ryan took it and set it on her thigh, just above her phone.

"Well I was expecting you to come home sooner and less dirty." She pointed out and shifted the phone and picture to the cushion next to her. Taking in a deep breath, she nabbed the phone and clutched it in her hand while making her way to her feet. "Jordan, where did you go?"

"What do you mean?" He cocked his head to the side and narrowed his gaze in on her. Ryan lifted her hands up, stretching her arms into the air, before moving to stand just in front of him, barely out of his reach.

"I saw you leave the hospital." Ryan accused and he raised his hands in surrender. "I saw you with the body, you just took it, you took it and you walked out the back door. I followed you until you got to the parking lot and then I figured I should probably just get home."

"You saw me?" Jordan lifted his hand and made a move to grab her arm but she dodged his attempt and raised an eyebrow.

"You're filthy." Ryan grumbled. "And yes, I saw you. I went to find you to show you the sonogram. I ran into Stiles instead, he and I were together when the alarms started going off."

Jordan glanced to the side and lowered his eyes to the floor. She had really come to find him, she had searched him out and had witnessed him taking the body instead of finding him where he was supposed to be. He knew that he was missing a bunch of time from when he had gotten to the hospital until he made it home, but he hadn't known what had happened. Ryan stood in front of him and when she cleared her throat, he looked right back at her.

The phone was held in her hand and on the screen was a picture, a blurry picture, but he could make out exactly what she was showing him. He was the subject of the photograph, he was right there inside the phone screen and in his arms, he could make out a limp looking body. Jordan sucked in a breath and raised his hands, planting them on his hip before letting out a low whistle.

"That's you. Right?" Ryan's voice was low and Jordan, for the first time in a long time, wasn't sure how to read her. She didn't sound mad, how could she, not if he didn't even realize what he was doing, but that didn't mean that she wasn't a little angry with him. After all, he had taken the body, he had left the hospital and he had come home covered in black ash _again._ "Jordan, that's you, isn't it?"

"It definitely looks like me." Jordan admitted. "Did I hurt you or anything?"

"No." She shook her head. "No you didn't get close enough, I stayed out of your way, I was behind you, following you…I didn't know what I was supposed to do. I mean, I guess I could've followed you further-"

"No." He cut her off with a firm grunt. "I don't want you getting hurt and if you had followed me, I can't guarantee that you'd…well that you'd be kept out of harm's way. Ryan, I honestly have no idea what the hell is going on with me and each night that I come home without being able to remember where I've been just makes me more afraid."

"Afraid of what?" She pressed and moved her hand out, pressing her palm against his ash covered chest. "Because it scares the hell out of me too."

"I don't want to hurt you, or Kylie." Jordan replied and wrapped his own hand around her wrist, holding her hand in place. "I love you two, so much, and I don't want to accidentally hurt you in any way. I don't know how I'd be able to live with myself if something happened to you, something that I was responsible for."

Ryan held her breath and thought about what she wanted to say next. She could tell that he was being sincere but that didn't make it any less terrifying knowing that he couldn't remember how he spent his evenings some times. She let the breath out and reluctantly removed her hand from his chest, curling her fingers into a fist and dropping her arm down to her side.

"I should've followed you." Ryan sighed. "I should've found out where you were going, maybe I could've helped you-"

"Ryan I don't want you out there where it's not safe." Jordan broke in. "I appreciate the sentiment and I can understand how you want to help but trust me, it's safest for you to be here, looking after Kylie."

"I know."

"And I want you to be safe because you're pregnant, I want our baby to be safe and healthy…" Jordan trailed off and glanced over her shoulder, his eyes falling on the abandoned sonogram residing on the couch. "You said everything was okay with the baby?"

"Everything's fine." Ryan gave him a slight nod. "Just like I figured, I'm not very far along so, no big changes yet, aside from starting to feel a little crappier each time I wake up in the mornings."

Jordan chuckled at her and she found herself smiling at the sound. She definitely missed the way things had been before all the weird happenings had started up. Being in a relationship with someone who wasn't entirely human, someone who was supernatural but didn't know what they were, was hard, but that didn't mean she wanted to give him up. There wasn't anything in the world that would tear him away from her, she'd claw and scratch and refuse to let go until her last breath to keep him in her life.

"You still didn't tell Kylie yet, did you?" Jordan questioned, pulling her attention back to him. Her drifting thoughts narrowed in and she shook her head no. "Okay, good."

"I figured we should tell her together, she'll be excited though, I know she will." Ryan said softly. "Well, unless she gets all overprotective of me, or you, or both of us. Oh god, what if she's not happy? What if she gets mad and thinks we're going to like get rid of her or something, what if-"

"Ryan stop." Jordan lifted his hand up and pressed the tip of his index finger against her lips, effectively silencing her for the time being. She looked up at him through her lashes and he couldn't help but smile at how extremely nervous she had become in a matter of seconds. "Kylie will be fine with it."

"You don't know that." Ryan mumbled and leaned back, her lips moving away from his finger. "You can't tell me that for sure, what if she gets so mad that she says something mean like 'I hate you' or something?"

"She could never hate you and even if she said that, we'll help her to understand that this is a good thing. Honestly Ry, she'll probably be more excited than I am and that's a bar that's been set pretty high to start with." Jordan beamed at her. Ryan took her bottom lip in between her teeth and remained silent, clearly thinking about how her little girl would react to the news that she'd be having a baby brother, or sister, in the near future.

"Where are we going to put the baby?" Ryan breathed the words out and Jordan shrugged his shoulders. "The only extra room I have upstairs is Cole's old office space and it's a pretty tight fit."

"We could move." Jordan offered up with a nonchalant tone.

"I don't know." She whined. "I like it here, don't you?"

"I do." He nodded his agreement. "Maybe we could consider putting an addition on, or doing some renovations. The baby can sleep in a crib in our room for the first little while anyways, right?"

"Yeah." She sighed. "I guess."

"We've got time." Jordan reassured her and Ryan rolled her eyes at him. "We'll figure it all out."

Ryan let out a frustrated growl and crossed her arms over her chest, her phone still in her grasp. She glanced down at the screen and spotted the picture of him still present on her phone. She wanted to have everything figured out by the time the new baby was born, she wanted to know what Jordan was and how to help him control whatever that may be, but it wouldn't be that easy, it was never that easy.

Months and months of research had come up with no answer for what he could be, sure there were theories and lots of people had thrown in their opinions, but they still didn't have a definitive answer. She hated not knowing, she despised his random amnesia spells, but what more could she do? Aside from taking care of Kylie, herself and their unborn baby?

"Have you thought about what you want?" Jordan quipped.

"Like boy or girl?"

"Yes, like that." He smiled.

"I don't know." She shook her head. "I was thinking maybe if it was a boy though, we could give him the middle name of Cole."

Jordan could see how much it pained her to talk about her late husband and he wasn't about to object to her idea. It was a noble name, a strong name and it already sounded like the perfect middle name for their child. He was a little upset that he hadn't thought of it himself, but then again, if he had, he might've kept it to himself for fear that it would break Ryan's heart and send her spiraling back into the sad, mourning woman that she had been when he had first met her.

"I love that idea." Jordan remarked. "I think that's wonderful."

"Yeah?"

"Yes." Jordan nodded his head. Ryan forced a smile at him and let out a sigh of relief. "Come on, I'm still covered in ash and it's pretty late, care to join me in the shower?"

Ryan giggled at his request and shook her head in amusement. Instead of answering him with her words, she uncrossed her arms and offered him her right hand. When he took it, he tugged her along behind him, leading her into the basement so that the two of them could have a shower _together_.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Sitting in the soaker tub in her bathroom the following evening, Ryan couldn't help but let her mind wander to the first time she had been pregnant.

Just like this time, it hadn't been planned, but Ryan hadn't handled it as well. She had been young, too young for kids, but Cole had been right there, reassuring her that everything would be just fine. They were old enough to make it with a baby and he hadn't been wrong. He had wound up with a deputy job almost right out of school and she had managed to land herself a gig at the hospital so that they didn't have to live paycheck to paycheck while also having to look after Kylie.

Sure her dad had loaned them some money to help with a down payment on the house that Ryan still resided in, but they had paid him back every cent that they had borrowed. Ken had been good to them, he hadn't been upset with her for getting herself pregnant, but she had seen the look in his face when she had first confessed to her dad that she was going to have a baby. He had been a little disappointed but that had all disappeared when Kylie had come into the world. Ken had gushed about his granddaughter from the very second that she arrived and when he first held her in his arms, he had started crying.

Ryan's mind wandered back to the first night she had spent in the hospital after Kylie had been born. It had been hard, the crying, the not knowing exactly what to do, but she had made it through, with Cole right by her side.

Now she had Jordan, she had Jordan right by her side and she wasn't as caught off guard as she had been the first time. She had a home, a stable job and a man who was willing to look after Kylie, who technically belonged to another man. She knew that she couldn't have lucked out any more, Jordan was simply the best thing to have happened to her following Cole's devastating death.

Kylie liked him too, she had adored him from the very start and Ryan shook her head at the thought of where it had all began for her and Jordan.

She had met him when he had come in to get a physical at the hospital so that he could start his job as a Beacon Hill's deputy, the very same job that Cole had possessed before he had been ripped from their lives. Ryan let out an anxious sigh and relaxed in the tub, leaning her head back on the edge and running her hands down her sides.

"I miss you." She murmured, her mind filled with the mental picture of Cole. She did miss him, she missed him every day and even though she had a man as good to her as Jordan in her life, it didn't cease the pain. Cole had been her first love, her first husband and the father of her first child and no matter how much time passed, she'd never, ever get over the loss of him.

Ryan lifted her hand up, breaking the surface of the water, and ran her fingers through her hair. She was aware that Jordan was somewhere upstairs, he had volunteered to tuck Kylie in while she was in the bath, trying to wash the stress of the past few days away. She had been anticipating him joining her though and so far he wasn't anywhere in sight.

Letting her eyes drift shut, she recalled all the times that she had curled up with Cole in the very tub she was sitting in while she had been pregnant with Kylie. He had always managed to comfort her, to get her to settle down after a particularly anxiety inducing day. Cole always had that effect on her and with everything going on in her life at the current moment, she found herself missing him more and more instead of less and less.

If he was around at that moment, she knew that he would've been able to comfort and soothe her with nothing more than a few well thought out words. He had been her rock, her support and the main reason why she hadn't totally lost it after finding out she was pregnant with Kylie. He had promised her the same thing that Jordan did, he had promised that they'd figure it all out. And they had, she couldn't fault him for that, he had stepped up, he had worked the overtime while he could still manage to and when Kylie had been brought into the world, he had spent the first few days right by her side, proving that he wasn't going to leave her alone with Kylie until she was ready.

"Jordan?" She called out for him but kept her eyes shut, basking in the warmth that the water was proving her with. She could feel her muscles loosening with each second that passed in the tub, but she wanted him by her side, she wanted him next to her so that she could curl up with him and know that she wasn't alone. "Jordan!?"

She listened in, hearing his frantic footsteps getting louder and louder as he closed in on the bathroom. She heard his gentle knocking on the bathroom door and when he finally stepped inside the room where she was, she opened her eyes and tipped her head back, locking her eyes in on him.

The look on his face was one etched with worry and she immediately felt a little bad for calling out to him so abruptly. Had she scared him, caused him to worry? Did he think that there was something wrong with her and that's why he had come to her so quickly?

"Hi." She looked at him with a lazy smile and Jordan sauntered closer to her, standing next to the tub and glancing down into her eyes. His hands dipped into the water and gripped her shoulders, his fingers digging into her flesh and gently massaging her skin.

"You okay?" He asked in a soft tone and Ryan lifted her one hand up, setting her palm on top of his and ceasing his movements. "Ryan?"

She shifted within the bathtub and turned to face him head on. Jordan dropped down to a crouch, resting his chin on the edge of the tub mere inches from her face. His hands remained in the water and when she twisted, she slipped her fingers between his, holding his hand in hers while meeting his concerned gaze.

"I'm fine." She confessed, her voice soft and sure. He didn't break eye contact with her, instead, he leaned in and pressed a sweet little kiss against the end of her noise, eliciting a little laugh from her as he did so. "I just wanted you to join me in here."

His lips turned up into a smile and he shook his head in amusement. Yes, this was exactly what she wanted, she wanted him next to her, in the water, naked and within her grasp. She wanted him by her side for the remainder of her bath and if she knew him like she thought she did, he wasn't about to turn her down. As much as she liked having him by her side, she knew that he liked being right next to her just as much.

"Still?"

"Of course." She smiled back at him. "I want to cuddle with you in the bath, is that so much to ask?"

Jordan rolled his eyes at her and rose up to his full height. He moved his hands away from her, slipping his fingers out of hers, and when he was free from touching her, he stripped off his shirt, dropping it to the floor next to him. She watched in awe as he continued to strip down, peeling his pants off and leaving them on the floor with his shirt. When his underwear came off, she leaned forward, pressing her chest against the side of the tub and reaching out for him.

Without putting it off for another second, Jordan climbed into the tub, lowered himself into the water and drew her against his side. She let her head gently drop down to rest against his shoulder and once he was sitting next to her without squirming to get more comfortable, she let out a sigh of contentment and closed her eyes.

"You sure you're okay?" He asked in a worried tone. "You seem…"

"I was just thinking about Cole before I called you." She admitted in a low tone. "More specifically I was thinking about when I was pregnant with Kylie. We used to sit in this tub night after night together, just holding on to each other, making love sometimes, it was just…it was nice and I miss it."

"You miss it or you miss him?" Jordan asked for clarification and Ryan's eyes popped open at his question.

"Both, I guess. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love you, with all of my heart, but I still miss Cole all the time, more so now that I'm pregnant again."

"Why's that?"

"I don't know, probably because of all the raging hormones." Ryan offered with a shrug. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"Good."

"Yes."

Ryan tipped her head back and met his gaze while he looked down at her. A smile spread out over his lips and he snaked an arm around her waist, drawing her even closer to him. When she leaned in and pressed a kiss against the side of his mouth, he let out a low moan and gripped her tighter.

"Kylie was going to be a Lucas." Ryan stated. "If she was a boy, she was going to be Lucas."

"Lucas, hmm, I like that." Jordan mulled over the name and the more he thought about it, the more he really _did_ like it. "Lucas Cole?"

"Lucas Cole Parrish." She supplied. "Our little boy."

"And if it's a girl?" Jordan quipped and Ryan furrowed her eyebrows together in thought. She had already been through the naming process once before, there were names that she had liked, none as much as Kylie though, and at his question, her mind drifted back to the nights where she had spent hours upon hours next to Cole trying to come up with names that didn't immediately bring to mind people that she couldn't stand.

"What about Riley, or Avery?" Ryan suggested.

"What about Madison?" Jordan countered.

"Madison was the little devil in Kylie's playgroup when she was just a baby." Ryan shook her head. "You don't like Riley, or Avery?"

"I do." He shrugged.

"But not really?" She narrowed her eyes in on him. "Well, do you have any other suggestions, besides Madison?"

"Ryan Junior." Jordan teased and leaned in, resting his forehead against hers.

"Ha ha." She said sarcastically but let out another soft sigh, still loving the feeling of the hot water surrounding her body. "Jordan, are you really happy about this: me being pregnant?"

Jordan tipped his head and kissed her lips gently, when he pulled back, he lifted his free hand up and ran it through her hair, Ryan mirroring his actions with her own hand. He glanced back at the door and smiled at the thought of Kylie tucked tightly in her bed for the night and when he faced Ryan yet again, he blew out a breath.

"I am. I'm excited to do this with you."

"You are?"

"Yes." He nodded. "I love you, I will never get tired of saying it, and I know that we're going to be together for a long time to come. This baby, it's a good thing and whether it's a boy named Lucas Cole or a girl named whatever, I'll love it with all of my heart."

"Well not all of your heart." Ryan piped up and when he gave her a confused look, she carried on speaking, "I want some of it."

"Oh." He chuckled. "Okay, I'll love it with a third of my heart, then you and Kylie each get another third?"

"That sounds much better."

Ryan blew out another breath and settled in next to him, her eyes falling shut once again. She basked in the feeling of his arm around her and when he leaned in to press a kiss against her forehead, she let out another happy sigh.

They were going to be great parents and this baby _was_ a good thing, Ryan knew that much and anything they didn't know, well they'd cross that bridge when they got there.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

 _ **poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Cliffhanger, oh dear, haha, did I do that? Well how was the next part?**_

 _ **DJDragon1: Believe it mwahaha! Maybe, maybe Ryan has some sort of ability to control (or help control) the hellhound...thanks for the review!**_

 _ **LoveFiction2016: Why thank you!**_


	65. Chapter 65

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 65:_**

 _Try not to lose this one._

The sheriff had written those very words on the envelope in Jordan's hand and as he sucked in a breath, he looked down at it, flipping it over so that the flap was in his line of sight.

He knew what was inside, he was completely aware that it was a new nametag seeing as he had managed to lose the last one. Jordan still had no idea where it had disappeared too but if he had any theories, the one that stood out the most was that he probably misplaced it while on one of his tranced out walks with a body in his arms.

Yes, Jordan figured that's exactly what had happened, but he wasn't going to admit it out loud to anyone other than Ryan, who had been on the lookout for his nametag ever since he had informed her that it was missing. She hadn't found it, obviously, and thus Jordan had to confess to the sheriff that he needed a new plate with his name etched on it.

Ripping the flap up, he let his new nametag drop into his palm. Fiddling with it in his fingers, he found his mind wandering to Ryan and her pregnancy.

She admitted to him on more than one occasion that she was scared of whatever he was, but lately he had found himself fearful of what he was capable of, especially if he ever wound up in one of his weird blackouts while with her. He didn't _want_ to hurt her, he'd never be able to live with himself if he did, but he knew that it was a very real possibility. He could very well end up hurting her, or their baby, or even Kylie and that thought alone made him incredibly uneasy.

What was he supposed to do though? He couldn't just abandon her, not now, not seeing as she was pregnant with his kid, but the more he thought about his other options, the more he found himself liking the idea of moving back into his apartment temporarily. It'd give him a chance to have a few minutes to himself to try and figure out what the hell he was and it'd give Ryan and Kylie a chance to spend some time without him around.

But could he really do that? Could he really leave Ryan and Kylie in their house without him?

No, he couldn't. He'd be worried about them, fearful that something might happen to the girls and without him around, then he wouldn't know anything. Maybe he could talk to Ryan's dad, maybe he could ask the man to keep an eye on the girls, but that would mean that he'd have to have a really good reason as to why he'd be staying in his place and not with the girls. Could he really come up with an excuse, and if he couldn't, would Ken even believe him if he spoke the truth?

Werewolves were real, there were things that weren't entirely human in the town limits of Beacon Hills, and Jordan knew that a man like Ken would need a lot of convincing to believe that. Even if Ryan backed him up, did he really want to expose the world of the supernatural to Ken Robertson?

"Parrish!"

Jordan whipped around at the sheriff calling his name and when he met his boss' gaze, he straightened up. Whatever he had been thinking about, whether or not he would actually consider telling Ken about the supernatural, it would all have to wait. He was at work and the sheriff needed him.

"Yeah Sheriff?" Jordan asked as he made his way to his feet, quickly fixing his nametag to his shirt in the process. He stepped towards his boss and never broke eye contact, hoping that whatever the man was going to ask of him that he'd be prepared to handle it. "What can I do for you?"

"You're coming with me." The sheriff stated and Jordan cocked his head to the side in confusion. "We've got a potential lead, Scott informed me that they have a scene for us to check out regarding these so called Dread Doctors."

"A scene?"

"Yes, a scene. It might be the lead we need, hell maybe we can put a stop to all this." The sheriff waved a hand in the air and Jordan gave him a nod of understanding.

This was a supernatural job, no wonder he needed Jordan's help. At least the man was acting smart, he wasn't going to go to this 'scene' on his own, that would be crazy. Jordan was thankful that the sheriff had enough sense to seek him out, it was better to have an advantage and in a situation where it could be a two against one, they'd definitely want that.

"You driving or am I?" Jordan countered and a small, amused smile crossed the sheriff's lips.

Jordan fell in stride behind him, nabbing his jacket off the back of the chair as he moved and when he was led out to the parking lot, he hopped into the passenger's side of the sheriff's cruiser. Patting his pocket and feeling the hard outer shell of his cell phone there, Jordan let out a soft sigh, thankful that he hadn't forgotten the device in case Ryan needed him for anything, anything at all.

Once he was buckled into the seat, he stole a look over at the sheriff and smiled at him, happy to be of help to his boss. The sheriff let out a soft sigh and Jordan remained quiet, not wanting to frazzle the sheriff any more than he already was considering he had to deal with the supernatural behind the rest of the other deputies' backs.

"Frankly Parrish, I'm getting tired of chasing leads that I can't explain." The sheriff whispered and Jordan knew exactly how he felt. He too was tired of dealing with things that weren't well known to everyone else.

He was glad that Ryan knew about werewolves, kanimas and anything else that a regular human being wouldn't be aware of, at least this way he had someone to talk to at night about it. He had someone who sort of understood the things that he had to deal with and he knew that she had witnessed first-hand the horrors that the supernatural could create. She had watched a slaughter in her place of work, she had watched a teenager eating a deputy, yes, he was grateful that she knew these threats existed but at the same time, he knew that it just meant she was in more danger than anyone else.

"Where are we going anyways?" Jordan questioned and reached his hands out, running them over the dashboard.

"Treatment plant." The sheriff answered simply and Jordan gave him another nod, signaling that he had heard the man loud and clear. "Rumour has it that there might be an operating theatre type set up there somewhere but until I see it with my own eyes, well, you know..."

"I do. It's all weird to me too." Jordan added with a knowing smile. "Sometimes I just think about how nice it would be to be a regular police officer, not a supernatural deputy."

"I miss the days when the biggest threats I had to worry about were psychotic human beings and not superhuman creatures." The sheriff admitted. "Simpler times Parrish."

"I was never around for those." Jordan joked and found his thoughts drifting to the things that he had been a part of shortly after joining the forces. There had been the time that the Onis had attacked the sheriff's station, and there was the time when he had been lit on fire by his former partner, yes, he certainly would be glad when days like those were way, way in the past.

The Dread Doctors though, they weren't making it any easier to move on from that sort of thing. They were a whole new threat and Jordan had seen what they were capable of. They had been the direct cause of too many deaths in recent weeks in Beacon Hills. He was tired of looking at bodies that were oozing silver liquid from their wounds, and most importantly, he was getting more fed up with finding murdered teenagers that the Dread Doctors had experimented on and failed.

They had all been innocent, they hadn't asked to be changed, but that didn't affect the outcome. No matter what, there were far too many people that were being taken, only to be returned to society as failing experiments. Jordan was tired, he was fed up, and if he could stop it from happening again, then he'd be happy to call this little trip a success.

"I don't like finding bodies Parrish." The sheriff blew the words out and let out a sigh in the process. No, finding bodies meant that he wasn't holding up his end of the bargain, he wasn't doing everything he could with the power that he had in being the town's sheriff.

"Sir, with all due respect, no one likes finding bodies."

"You're not wrong." The sheriff shook his head.

Minutes of silence later, he pulled into the vacant parking lot of the treatment plant. Jordan hesitated and waited until the sheriff freed himself of his seatbelt, then he followed his lead. Jordan stepped out of the cruiser at the same time as his superior and together the two of them wandered towards the building.

Freeing his flashlight from his belt, he lifted it up and then grabbed his gun out of his holster. Jordan held both in his hands and continued to follow the sheriff to the door. When they reached it, the sheriff extended his hand and tried the door, when it sprung open, he cocked his head to the side and shot Jordan a glance.

"You ready?" The sheriff asked in a low tone and Jordan gave him a nod while also poising his gun in front of him. The sheriff hung back and let Jordan take the lead, if only so that he could also free his flashlight from its place on his belt.

Jordan stepped into the building and looked around, trying to locate anything that seemed even the slightest bit peculiar. The sheriff took up the lead and waved Jordan forward, the two of them sticking close together in the eerie, dark, dingy treatment plant.

"How did Scott know about this place?" Jordan asked softly, keeping his voice low so as not to alert anyone who might be lingering nearby.

"His friends were uh, taken, and this is where they were found." The sheriff answered firmly. "It's a sad day when teenagers are doing more than the sheriff, isn't it?"

"Sir, that's not your fault. You have an entire town to protect, you can only do so much without being stretched too thin." Jordan pointed out and stuck nearby him as they headed towards the back of the building. "I know it's hard not to blame yourself, I do the same thing, but we're doing all that we can."

"Are we?" The sheriff shot back with a questioning look. "Could we not be doing more?"

"Maybe." Jordan shrugged and motioned towards a doorway that ultimately opened into a stairwell. The sheriff stepped ahead and pushed the door open with an overbearing creak. Once it was ajar, he led Jordan up one set of stairs, reaching another door at the top of the landing.

He pulled it open and ushered Jordan through. Jordan hesitated but stepped over the threshold, looking around and studying his surroundings. It was darker up here and it smelled a lot more like mold, but what caught his attention was a giant gaping hole in the brick wall that had a chain link gate across it.

Letting his boss move ahead, Jordan cautiously looked around at the wall behind him instead and tried to figure out what the hell was going on and why they were currently standing in the middle of the second floor of what he could only assume was an abandoned water treatment plant.

"What exactly are we looking for?" Jordan quipped and held his gun firmly in his hand, a little more fearful of what might be lurking in the shadows.

"Anything out of the ordinary, if they're performing medical experiments on these kids, then maybe there are traces of some sort of operations in this building." The sheriff explained.

"But this definitely doesn't look like an operating theater." Jordan replied and took a step closer to the sheriff, who was down on his knees looking at the remnants of debris on the cold, hard floor. "Maybe it's more like a remote field station."

"I'm starting to wonder if maybe we're wasting our time looking for potential chimeras, when maybe, we should be looking for the failures." The sheriff said. Jordan nodded his agreement but then the image of the limp, cold, dead bodies flooded into his head. He couldn't get the image on Ryan's phone out of his head, yes, he knew who was responsible for taking the bodies, but it wasn't like he could just come out and admit to it.

He didn't want to get anyone worked up, nor did he want the sheriff to find out for fear that he'd take him off the case completely. Just because he was taking the bodies didn't mean he was killing anyone, no, he'd definitely remember committing murder, plus he had an alibi for at least one of the crimes.

"How do we do that?" Jordan pressed and tucked his gun back into the holster on his belt. "How do we look for the failures?"

"We equip every available deputy with a UV light." The sheriff shot back.

"What's UV going to show us?" Jordan furrowed his eyebrows together.

"Mercury."

Right, mercury. Well he would be glad when the dead bodies that people called in were no longer oozing silver liquid and as morbid as he knew it sounded, he'd be glad for a good old fashioned homicide. Okay, so maybe he'd be even happier without any homicides at all but at least with a typical crime not involving the supernatural the other deputies could get in on the action, they could put their two cents in without having to be introduced to weird, barely believable information.

"Do we have enough UV lights to go around?" Jordan questioned and the sheriff turned to look at him. He offered his deputy a nonchalant shrug and stole one last look around the room, officially accepting that there wasn't anything that would break the case open on this particular floor of the building.

"I sure hope so." The sheriff shook his head and let out a low whistle. "I've never wanted to solve something as bad as I do right now."

"You and me both sir." Jordan agreed and found himself thinking that he'd certainly be glad when this was all over. He just wanted to spend time with Ryan and Kylie, he wanted to be with them as often as he could and he would love nothing more than to be able to take some time off around the time that the baby was due.

He could dream, couldn't he?

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

He barely even had a chance to sit down at his desk when Lydia showed up and, fighting off a groan, he readied himself for whatever she was going to ask of him.

Much to his surprise, as well as his delight, it wasn't for more help learning to defend herself. He was grateful, although it was hard to conclude that she was probably a little leery about asking for anything that would involve them being so close to each other, especially after Ryan had shown up the last time.

Jordan couldn't really fault either female for their reactions. Lydia should be a little intimidated by Ryan, she was a fierce woman, a smart, strong, beautiful woman that he loved. And Ryan had every right to be jealous, he saw the way Lydia looked at him, the way she flipped her hair and spoke in a more sultry tone when she was near him. So when she approached his desk and leaned against the edge with her hip, barely leaving any space between them, he fought off the desire to ignore her and claim that he needed to get home, to his _girlfriend_.

"I need your help." Lydia murmured and crossed her arms over her chest. He looked up at her as he leaned back in his chair and when his eyes finally met hers, he immediately sensed how serious of a situation this was to her. "Please?"

"What do you need my help with?" He countered and hoped that it would be something easy, something that wouldn't take up a lot of time on his end. He wanted to get home and even if Ryan was most likely still working, he wanted to be there when she arrived, maybe even have dinner ready, or at the very least pick something up for the three of them.

"I need to find something and I'm pretty sure you're one of the only people that can help me." She explained vaguely and Jordan rolled his eyes at her request. He hated when she wasn't straight with him, her backhanded ways of asking him for things was wearing his patience thin.

"What makes you think I know how to help you find whatever it is you're looking for?" Jordan leaned against his desk and craned his neck to maintain eye contact with her. She tipped her head to the side and let out a lazy sigh.

"I know something about you that you don't know." She said cryptically, suddenly Jordan found himself at attention. She had him, hook, line and sinker. He was all hers and if she had something important to tell him, something that he apparently didn't know, then maybe this was exactly what he needed. "You and I both know that there's someone in Beacon Hills taking the bodies…"

She trailed off, leaving her sentence hanging between them. He let out a scoff and shook his head. If this information was supposedly a secret to him, well he wasn't going to let her know that he knew he was the one taking the bodies, not until she gave him more to go on.

"Okay, and?" Jordan egged her on and Lydia took the bait.

"Well, I think I might know _where_ they're being taken." She admitted and Jordan widened his eyes. Okay, so maybe she _did_ know something about him that he didn't. Did she really know _where_ he was taking the bodies?

"Do you know who's taking them?" Jordan pressed and slowly got up out of the chair. He looked down at her and she uncrossed her arms from over her chest, letting them hang loosely at her sides instead.

"I do." She gave him a nod and pressed the tip of her index finger into the centre of his chest. "It's you."

Jordan didn't flinch, he didn't want to give her the satisfaction of thinking that she had one up on him. He kept his eyes locked on hers, waiting for her to ask for whatever favour she needed his help with.

"And where am _I_ taking the bodies?" Jordan tipped his head to the side and rested his hands on his belt.

"To the Nemeton."

"And don't you know where that is?"

"I can't find it," she blew out an anxious breath, "that's why I need your help."

Jordan studied her standing in front of him, taking in the sight of her in the sheriff's station. She certainly wouldn't have sought him out if she didn't actually need his help, would she? Surely Ryan had scared her enough to think twice about approaching him when he was all alone and then putting him in situations where it was just the two of them, hadn't she?

He didn't want to think about what Ryan would do to her if she found out that Lydia was still very interested in getting close to him and with her being pregnant, he didn't trust her completely when it came to keeping herself calm. No, he wouldn't put it past Ryan to go after Lydia, in fact, pregnant or not, he was rather surprised that she hadn't tried to go after the girl when she had walked in on them fighting each other.

"What am I supposed to do about my girlfriend though?" Jordan quipped and Lydia visibly tensed at the mentioning of his significant other. "I remember her telling me that she didn't really appreciate me going off alone with a teenaged girl by the name of Lydia Martin."

"Well, what she doesn't know won't hurt her." Lydia purred and Jordan shook his head.

"No thanks, I'm not taking that chance." Jordan glanced behind him, taking in the sight of the sheriff sitting at his own desk, focused on whatever was laid out in front of him. It was most likely more of the unsolved case files, whatever it was though, Jordan had a chance to find out where he was taking the bodies and more importantly, why.

"Can't you call her then, ask her for permission? I didn't really take you as the kind of guy who needs his girlfriend's approval." Lydia jeered but Jordan was unaffected by her words.

He didn't actually _need_ Ryan's permission to do anything but he knew that she'd be more willing to let him go, and ultimately trust him, if he was open and honest with her about the sorts of things that Lydia was wanting him to do with her.

"If she says no, you're on your own." Jordan bowed his head and dropped back down into his chair. "Wait out front for me while I make a call?"

Lydia rolled her shoulders back and took off for the front of the station. Jordan watched her go and when he could no longer see her, he picked up the phone residing in the cradle on his desk. He dialed the hospital's number and waited for the desk clerk to answer. It was still early and if Ryan wasn't at work, then he'd have reason to worry, but when the lady at the desk answered, he immediately requested to speak with Ryan.

"I'll just go see if she's available." The lady said politely and Jordan felt himself smile at the idea of mentioning that she was speaking to Deputy Parrish. It would make it all the more complicated for the lady to ignore his calls and just tell him that Ryan was busy.

He waited for a few seconds, listening to the soft classical music sounding out in his ear. When a clicking noise broke in and put a stop to the tune, he sat up straighter and braced himself to talk to Ryan.

"Jordan, is everything okay?" She sounded panicked and he instantly regretted using his 'authoritative' voice. He hadn't meant to freak her out or cause her to worry, he just wanted to talk to her.

"Everything's fine, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bother you at work but I really needed to talk to you about something." Jordan tried his best to keep his tone soft and soothing, especially considering he had managed to throw her for a loop by simply calling her at work.

"About what?" He could hear the confusion in her voice but he wasn't deterred.

"Lydia wants me to help her find this place, I just wanted to check in with you." Jordan explained quickly and she sucked in a breath on the other end of the line.

"I trust you." Ryan breathed the words out. "I appreciate you letting me know, thank you."

"So you have no problem with me going with her, wherever we may need to go?"

"Not…not really. Maybe part of me hopes that you'll trance out on her and give her a good scare." Ryan snorted and he couldn't help but smile at her morbid attempt at joking. "Don't be too late though?"

"I'll try not to." Jordan shook his head and dropped his eyes down to the floor. "I love you."

"I love you too." There was a definite happy tone to her voice and Jordan found himself feeling a little happy himself. "I'll see you as soon as I can."

"Yeah, see you soon." She replied and hung up the phone. Jordan waited a few more seconds before also hanging up the phone and with a smile on his face, he stood up, slipping his cell phone in his pocket.

With a bounce in his step, he walked through the station, heading for the front where he had told Lydia to wait for him. When he walked out, he spotted her sitting, waiting in one of the chairs against the wall and as soon as she noticed him, she sprung to her feet, rushing right for him.

"Did the warden give you her blessing?" Lydia asked, keeping her words flat and emotionless.

"She did." Jordan answered, still smiling. "I've got to make a stop at home and change out of my uniform, I can't afford to wreck another one."

She gave him a slight nod of her head, took a step back and waved him forward, silently telling him to lead the way. Jordan pulled his keys out of his pocket, twirled them in his hand and walked for the door, holding it open so that Lydia could walk out in front of him.

With a look to the sky, he shook his head and thought of Ryan. He'd much rather be spending his time with her and Kylie instead of Lydia, but if she could give him answers to the questions he was constantly asking himself, then maybe it would all be worth it.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

 _ **Do you guys think Jordan is doing a better job at handling Lydia? Do you feel like he's acting appropriate with her now that him and Ryan are on a little more stable ground?**_

 _ **Thank you to those of you who are still with me, I cannot express in words how appreciative of the reviews, the follows, the favourites, it's just so wonderful! I love hearing from you guys so please feel free to review and let me know what your favourite parts are, what you like or don't like even.**_


	66. Chapter 66

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 66:_**

Jordan's mind continued to drift to Ryan and Kylie all the while he was driving, with Lydia riding shotgun. No one seemed to know what he was, including himself, and the mere thought of blacking out around the two scared him to death. He didn't want to end up hurting them, or worse, and when he stole a quick glance over to the side at Lydia, he fought off the urge to sigh.

Was this what his life had come to, was he going to be relying on teenagers in order to help him figure out what the hell was going on with him?

"You're thinking too much." Lydia remarked and Jordan's fingers tightened around the steering wheel of the SUV. Her voice had jarred him, pulled him back to reality and at the conclusion of her sentence, he let out a frustrated groan.

"I'm thinking just enough." Jordan countered, trying to keep her out of his head. This was one of the things he had been afraid of, he didn't want to end up in a situation where he'd feel guilty, he didn't want to have to explain to Ryan what happened while also hoping that she didn't get angry with him. If he could just keep Lydia at arm's length, if he could avoid one on one time with her in the future, then wouldn't everyone benefit?

"Maybe you should consider focusing on finding this place." Lydia said softly.

"This Nemeton?"

"Yes." She gave him a nod and turned to look out the passenger window. Jordan kept his eyes trained on the gravel road in front of him and he tried to push Ryan to the back of his mind. No matter though, she was still lingering in his thoughts, the photo that she had snapped of him on her phone had freaked him out. "It's important."

"So, if this place is so important, how come you didn't want to show it to me before?" Jordan countered quickly, wondering if Lydia had some sort of ulterior motive to their little field trip out to the woods. Did she want to get him alone with her, did she have something planned? He shook his head at the mere thought of Lydia being a threat to him, but she _was_ a threat to his relationship, wasn't she?

Ryan had been blatantly clear when she had expressed how much it bothered her that he constantly spent time alone with her. When Ryan had walked in on the two of them fighting, he knew that he was in trouble, even before she had shown up, he had already started to feel guilty and feeling guilty was the first red flag to him. Yes, he knew that he shouldn't have agreed to help Lydia train, at least not the way he had.

"Well, the problem is it's not easy to find." Lydia explained.

"Should we put it in the GPS?" Jordan offered, his grip on the steering wheel loosening, his palm running over the smooth material. He felt the wheel in his grasp and wondered more about why they were out looking for the Nemeton now as opposed to earlier.

"Not exactly." Lydia tipped her head to the side and moved to look out the front window instead of the side.

"So, how are we going to find it? Because I don't remember ever being anywhere near a giant tree stump." Jordan argued but it didn't seem to be of any use. Lydia wasn't reacting the way he was expecting her too, she wasn't getting frustrated, she wasn't getting upset, she was simply staying calm and patient. Okay, so maybe finding this so called Nemeton _was_ important, on the bright side, maybe she'd stay focused on finding the remnants of the old tree instead of flirting with him like she often did.

"I think you're already starting to remember." She blew out a breath and Jordan narrowed his eyes in on her for a split second. What was she talking about, he didn't remember anything, none of the things around him looked familiar and they were still on an old road in the middle of nowhere, weren't they?

"How do you know that?" Jordan quipped.

"You just took a right turn." Lydia stated firmly and Jordan peered into the rear-view mirror, taking a look at where they had just come from. Okay, she wasn't wrong, he had made a turn, a turn that he wasn't really paying much attention to, but what did that mean?

Was it partly muscle memory, was his mind and body remembering something that he couldn't make out clearly in his head? Was this some sort of trick or game, or did Lydia know more than she was letting on?

Without thinking anymore at all, he continued to drive, a silence falling over them, a silence that he was happy to accept. This was too weird, he didn't want to be involved in this little impromptu field trip any longer, not if it meant exploring things that he was apparently familiar with and didn't remember. On the other hand, maybe if she helped him find the Nemeton then he'd get some answers.

There were far too many unknowns surrounding his life and if there was even a remote possibility of finding out what was really going on, then wasn't it all worth it?

Was it possible for him to control whatever he was, would he eventually be able to feel comfortable enough around Ryan and Kylie to trust that he wouldn't hurt them, even if he knew he would never purposely put them in harm's way?

His foot pressed down onto the brake pedal and Jordan pulled the vehicle to a stop before throwing the gearshift into park. Craning his neck, he looked sideways and met Lydia's eyes, which were wide and held a spark of curiosity.

"What now?" He asked in a whisper.

Lydia gave him a slight shrug and made quick work of climbing out of the SUV. Once her feet were on the ground outside, he followed her lead but freed the keys from the ignition and tucked them into the pocket on his jacket. His legs carried him around the front of the vehicle and when he was just a few feet in front of her, she crossed her arms over her chest and took a look around, taking in the sight of their surroundings.

"We walk." She blew out a breath and wiggled her fingers at him. He took it as a sign to lead the way and after he too looked around at their surroundings, he started heading away from the car, moving straight from the front.

As the two of them moved, Lydia falling in stride next to him, Jordan continued to look this way and that, trying to see if he couldn't notice anything familiar. Apparently he had been to the Nemeton before but he couldn't remember ever setting foot in the preserve, or anywhere else that seemed remotely similar. Something was clearly wrong and maybe it was possible that he had sought out the giant tree stump when he was in one of his trances.

Was the place they were looking for the same place that drew him away from Beacon Hills with bodies in his possession?

"Anything look familiar?" Lydia questioned, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen over them. She came to a stop and Jordan mirrored her actions, only he took a step forward and spun on his heel to come face to face with the teenaged girl in his company.

"Nothing." He let out a frustrated sigh and met her eyes. "I'm trying, but it all looks like woods to me."

"Maybe you're thinking about it too much." She said. "Maybe it's something you need to _feel_."

Feel? He had to _feel_ it? Nothing, absolutely nothing, looked even remotely familiar to him, whether it was something that he had witnessed in reality or something that he had seen in a dream, to him they were out in the middle of the woods trying to search out some tree stump that was important in a way that Jordan didn't fully understand. What was he supposed to do about ' _feeling_ it'?

"How do I do that?" Jordan asked bluntly. Before he knew what she was doing, she made a move to strike him but he easily nabbed her arm before she made contact. He stared at her with an amused expression on his face. "What was that for?"

"To get you to stop thinking." Lydia answered and she was moving back and forth on the balls of her feet. There was a determined look in her eyes and Jordan fought off the urge to laugh. Did she really think that she'd be able to get the upper hand on him? He was a trained professional, he had been overseas and he was currently working as a deputy to the sheriff, on paper, there was no way she'd be able to beat him at hand to hand combat.

She made another move to hit him but Jordan dodged her attempt. He leaned to the side, easily avoiding the contact that her fist would've made if he had stayed upright. He could see her frustration at not hitting him grow with the way her lips curled up slightly into a snarl, which just served to amuse him even more. Who did she really think she was? Even Ryan, who hadn't spent an entire afternoon, seemed to be better off at protecting herself by the sheer power behind her groin attack. Lydia's moves were almost laughable.

"Oh, is this supposed to motivate me?" Jordan teased and even went as far as to smirk at her, taunting her with the upturn of his lips.

"No. It's supposed to get you to stop-" She swung her arm out and he ducked, "thinking!"

Lydia continued to try and attack him, giving it everything she had. She punched at him but he moved out of the way. She threw her leg out to kick at him, but he bent over and avoided the contact by backing up. Taking a few steps further to stay out of her reach, he looked her up and down while she zoned in on him like an animal hunting its prey.

His smirk grew and he lifted his hand up, motioning her forward. She didn't hesitate, she didn't stop for a second to think about her next move, instead, she threw her leg out, making another attempt to kick at him, but Jordan dodged her yet again. She threw more and more punches at his upper body but he ducked, avoiding them almost easily.

With each and every strike she attempted to make on him, he backed up, moving through the trees and heading deeper into the forest. Her kicks and punches continued to come at him but Jordan just held back a laugh as he dipped, dodged and dove out of every attempt she made.

It wasn't until she threw herself at him, both of her feet leaving the ground, that he even felt any force behind her jabs. Her hand connected with his chest harder than he'd like to admit but it still didn't stop him, it barely even slowed him down. If anything, he paused for a few seconds to give her a taunting grin.

Her kicks continued to come at him though and they danced through the woods, fighting each and every step that they made. His eyes never left her form but his mind certainly drifted. As much fun as he'd never admit to having with her, he knew that he'd much rather be spending his time with Ryan and Kylie; his family. What were they doing at that very second?

Had Ryan already picked up Kylie, were they at home making dinner with the belief that he'd be home to join them shortly? Jordan hadn't looked at any sort of clock since he had left the station and he knew, because he had called her at work, that she hadn't left the hospital at that point in time, but how many minutes had ticked away since that particular phone call?

Lydia made an attempt to grab at him with both of her hands but before she had a chance to get anywhere near him, he wrapped his fingers around her wrists and held her arms out in front of him, her palms upwards but her fingers curling into fists.

She was breathing heavy as they stopped sparring and Jordan tightened his grip on her arms, letting her know without words that he wasn't going to let her try to hit him anymore.

Something in him snapped and he felt a white hot heat surge through his entire body and before he knew what he was doing, he was looking to his left. His grip on her wrists faltered and she pulled herself free before he could argue but he wasn't concerned about her making any more attempts to hurt him, no, there was something much more important about where he stood.

A chill ran through his body and he took a step to the left, leaving Lydia behind him. He peered between the aged branches of the trees and when he spotted what was lying beyond, his jaw dropped in pure shock.

This is what they had been looking for, this is exactly the place from his nightmare and without words, he surged forward, bypassing the tree branches and brush to get closer to the place that he had only ever remembered seeing while asleep.

"The Nemeton." Lydia murmured and she took a few steps to catch up to him, moving right behind him as he got closer to the stump in the middle of the grove of trees. His eyes never left the charred dead bodies littered around it and when he was just a few feet away from the body nearest to them, he stopped moving, Lydia easily taking up a stand next to him. "You found it."

"Lydia…" He started but paused, taking in the sight of the bodies, the limp, unmoving, bodies that he had seen in his nightmares. "I did this."

"I know." She said softly and made a move to reach out and touch him, but he shifted away from her grasp and knew that she hadn't been anticipating his rejection. "You were the one taking them all along."

Jordan turned immediately and began marching back in the direction that he had thought they had come from. He was a little upset with himself, instead of focusing on how they had gotten to the Nemeton, he had been too distracted by Lydia's attempts at hitting him and now he wasn't entirely sure where he was, or how to get back to where they had parked.

When she jogged up beside him, he stole a quick glance at her and shook his head in frustration. The sight would be forever burned into his mind and even when he shut his eyes and tried to force the grotesque scene away for even just a split second, he couldn't. Even the thought of Ryan promptly turned into a terrifying vision of her body being one of the ones lying dead and burned against the side of the giant tree stump.

His eyes opened and he shivered at the thought of bringing harm to the two girls that he loved with all of his heart. He needed to stay away from them, he needed to protect them and if that meant taking matters into his own hands, then that's what he'd do.

"I need to call it in, no, I need to turn myself in." Jordan proclaimed and began walking faster in the direction of the vehicle.

"I don't think that's such a good idea." Lydia pointed out, trailing along behind him. She took a few larger strides and walked along beside him, turning her head slightly to look at him.

"You just told me I'm the one taking the bodies. I've attacked other law enforcement officers. That's a criminal offense. I shouldn't even be near you." Jordan rambled on, wanting nothing more than to be far away from her. If he was capable of what he thought he was then no one was safe in his proximity, including Lydia. Their training wouldn't matter one bit if it came down to a fight between her and him, especially if he wasn't fully aware of what he was doing.

"I'm not afraid of you." Lydia exclaimed and her tone reminded him a lot of Kylie when she was trying to prove a point. She was being childish and in his eyes, she should be anything but. This was a serious matter and Lydia didn't seem to be taking it very seriously at all.

"I'm afraid of me." Jordan countered and he wasn't lying. He was afraid of himself, he was afraid of what he could possibly do to the people he loved, the people that trusted him to protect them. He didn't want to have to bear witness to Kylie or Ryan hurting because of his actions, and at the thought of bringing pain upon them, he knew he had to do something to keep just that from happening.

"Whatever's happening seems to only happen when there's a body. Other than that you're still a pretty nice guy." Lydia pointed out, almost like she could read his mind. Did she know how truly afraid he was of hurting the people around him? "And you're a pretty good deputy."

"I'm a very good deputy and I'd like to stay that way." Jordan retorted. "Flipping over Jeeps and attacking colleagues doesn't exactly fit with 'protect and serve'. I'm covering up the bodies of murdered teenagers."

"You're not covering them up, wait…" Lydia shot back at him but she came to a stop just a few feet away from the SUV. Jordan looked to the side at her and stood next to her, waiting for her to continue with her train of thought before he made a move to get in and drive far, far away from the preserve. "Actually, maybe you are."

"What?" Jordan's eyes widened at her admission and she stepped around him, moving to look at him head on.

"It's the same thing we asked Stilinski to do with Tracy. You're not covering up bodies. You're covering up the supernatural." Lydia explained but Jordan didn't feel even the slightest bit better about anything that he had just seen with his own two eyes.

"What's the difference?" Jordan nearly growled at her but he tried to keep himself composed, at least until he could get back to the station and call Ryan to let her know that he was more dangerous than either of them believed. He wasn't looking forward to letting her know but what other choice did he have?

He had to make sure they were okay, he had to keep them safe, and if that meant telling her everything from how he had gone off on an adventure through the woods with Lydia to his horrible nightmares, which were apparently a little more than just bad dreams, that that's precisely what he'd do.

"Maybe you're keeping the secret safe. Maybe that's part of what you do." Lydia continued to speak and Jordan was finding it harder and harder to focus on her.

"I'm a deputy." Jordan barked.

"You're not _just_ a deputy. And you aren't one of the bad guys." Lydia's voice remained calm and soothing.

"Lydia, you just showed me that my dream was real." Jordan lifted a hand out to the side, motioning in the direction that they had just come from. She glanced in the direction of his hand but reluctantly moved her eyes upwards to meet his. Jordan broke eye contact first and glanced down at the ground, hating the idea of bringing his nightmares into the real world. "But you haven't heard the rest of it. Every time I carry a body to the Nemeton, I put it down and add to the ones that are already there."

A few seconds of silence lingered between them and when he looked up to meet Lydia's gaze again, she was already looking off to the side.

"How many?" Lydia asked.

"Hundreds, Lydia." Jordan paused and tried to force the haunting images out of his head for even just a split second. "Hundreds of them."

He didn't know what more to say to her, he wasn't sure if there was anything that he _could_ say to her. Jordan was sufficiently freaked out at what he had just seen and now Lydia was standing in front of him refusing to meet his eyes. What did it all mean and had he actually carried hundreds of bodies through the woods at some point?

Of course there were only a few nights that he couldn't remember but how long would it have taken for him to seek out a dead body, load it into the back of his SUV and take it to the Nemeton? What was stopping him from taking more than one body at a time?

Were there times that no one had noticed him missing before? Was it possible that he had started gathering bodies long before he had become aware?

"I need to go." Jordan shook his head, set his hand on Lydia's shoulder and brushed past her. Lydia immediately followed his lead and stepped up to the passenger's side of the SUV while Jordan climbed into the driver's side.

"Where?" Lydia asked and set her hand on the door. Jordan paused but finished climbing into the car, shutting the door behind him and looking over at the passenger seat, waiting for Lydia to do the same.

Once she was inside the car, he set his hands on the steering wheel and let out a sigh of frustration. Why had he agreed to come with her? Why had he bothered asking Ryan for permission when he should've just said no from the beginning?

Here he was sitting in the driver's seat, his hands on the wheel and his mind drifting back to the sight he had seen minutes ago. It was too much too soon, the threat of him hurting Ryan or Kylie was all too real and if he didn't do something about it, what would happen to them? Would he actually harm them and if he did try to hurt them, would Ryan be able to defend herself while also keeping Kylie away from his wrath?

Did he even have a wrath? Or was it as simple as Lydia had made it seem? Was he really just taking bodies or was he a part of the reason as to why these people were dead to start with?

"You're thinking too much again." Lydia murmured and set her hand on his forearm, Jordan whipping his head to the side with a fearful expression on his face. "Where do you need to go?"

"I don't know, I just need to find somewhere that I can't hurt people, somewhere that I can't get out of, somewhere like…" he trailed off and immediately his mind went right to the station and the holding cells that resided there. "I need to go back to work."

"What are you really afraid of?" She pressed and he shook his head. He didn't want to get into it with her, he didn't want her to know how truly in love with Ryan he was. Lydia was just a teenager, as Ryan had so often pointed out, she wouldn't understand what he was thinking or feeling.

She didn't know how truly terrifying it was to have the potential to hurt the people that he loved and cared for, she couldn't possibly. Jordan lifted his head up, locked his eyes on the scene in front of the SUV and quickly dug the keys out of his pocket. Clutching them in unsteady hands, he finagled the necessary key into the ignition and turned it on, hearing the engine purr to life.

Without another word to the girl next to him, he backed out of the preserve and headed to the sheriff's station with every intention of calling the woman that he loved.

Ryan deserved to know everything and he was the one that was going to explain it to her.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

 _ **Well...what are you guys thinking now?**_

 _ **poorxbrokexcollegexkid: I'm glad you don't trust Lydia, I thought there were going to be more people against Jordan and an OC but the reception of him and Ryan is surpassing what I was expecting :)**_

 _ **DJDragon1: Ha, yes, take that Lydia! I think maybe the hellhound and Ryan will meet soon enough ;) Thanks so much again!**_

 _ **LoveFiction2016: Yes, finally Jordan saw some sense indeed!**_


	67. Chapter 67

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 67:_**

"I'm not going to be making it home for dinner." Jordan confessed into the phone.

He hadn't wanted to make the call once he had made it back to the station, he knew that it would sadden Ryan and Kylie that he wasn't going to be joining them for supper, but there were far more important things to worry about than his next meal. He heard Ryan suck in a nervous breath and listened as Kylie squealed and laughed in the background; apparently she was having a grand old time at the house without him, which made it all the harder on Jordan to bail on dinner.

"I appreciate you letting me know." Ryan said softly and Jordan felt the air rushing out of his lungs. She wasn't mad, or upset, but that didn't make him feel any less guilty for skipping out on spending time with them like he so desperately wanted to do.

"You aren't going to even ask why?" Jordan pressed and relaxed in the chair he was sitting in at his desk. His cell phone was tucked away in the pocket on his jeans and at the feel of the hard plastic of the device against his leg, his mind was drawn back to the picture that Ryan had captured of him: him with the body in his arms.

"Do you want me to ask why?" She countered and he could hear that she was confused. He couldn't exactly blame her, this whole thing _was_ confusing, but Ryan hadn't even skipped a beat when she responded to his admission that he wasn't going to be making it home in time to eat with them. "I can, if that'd make you feel better."

"I don't…I don't think it'd make much of a difference but I'm doing it to protect you and Kylie." Jordan admitted, listening for Ryan to respond but words never came, she didn't say anything. "Lydia told me that there's another body and I'm afraid that I'll end up hurting you, so if I can just stay away then maybe you won't get caught up in the crossfire."

"If that's what you think is best." She sighed.

"I do, at least for right now." Jordan hated to say it out loud to her, he hated to say things that would make her fearful of what he was, but he knew that he couldn't just let her go on without knowing some of it. "I'm going to lock myself in a holding cell, and I don't know when I'm going to feel comfortable getting out of it."

"Jordan, can I at least come down there to see you?" She asked. "I'll leave Kylie with my dad so she doesn't get scared, but if you're going to be locking yourself in a holding cell…well, can we at least talk about it, face to face?"

He considered her request for a few seconds wondering how much harm it could truly cause if she merely came down to the station to talk to him. So long as he remained in control of his mind and body then was she really in any danger when she was near him? That was the problem though, recently he had been losing control of his mind and body, and that was precisely why he no longer trusted himself not to hurt anyone but especially Ryan and Kylie.

"I don't know if that's really a good idea." Jordan said the words softly, almost ashamed at the idea of keeping her at a distance. Ryan wasn't weak, nor was she fragile, but that didn't mean he wanted her anywhere near the station. "I won't stop you though."

"Okay, I'll be there shortly."

"Ryan…" He started and when she let out a soft sigh on her end, he let his eyes fall shut and immediately he pictured her face. "I love you."

"I love you too. Hang tight okay, I'm coming."

He didn't get a chance to say his goodbye; instead, the line went dead from her hanging up on him. She wasn't going to let him try to convince her not to come, he wasn't going to get any more words out to her, and part of him was content with that. She was on her way to see him and if he could get into the holding cell before she showed up, then that would be good enough, it would be a strong enough barrier so that he didn't hurt her.

Setting his own phone down, he opened his eyes, scooted backwards and moved away from the desk, heading in the direction of the holding cell. He made sure that it was empty, then he looked around and stepped inside, kicking the door shut behind him. At the eerie sound of the lock clicking in to place, Jordan walked across the cell, leaned his back against the wall and slid downwards so that his butt was on the bench along the opposite side of the cell from the bars.

It was just a few seconds later when he heard frantic footsteps and the sheriff's demanding tone just off in the distance.

"Hey, what the hell does he think he's doing?"

"Protecting us." Lydia answered before Jordan could even consider what he wanted to say to his boss. He still couldn't see the older man but he could certainly hear him and he wasn't too sure how the man was going to take the fact that he had locked himself inside the cell.

"From who?" The sheriff pressed but his attention was locked on Lydia.

"Himself." Lydia said simply and Jordan set his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands together.

With his head bowed, he thought about Ryan, Kylie, Ken and even the baby. Was this what it was going to take in the future too, was he going to have to remain locked away from his family in order to keep them safe?

His head jerked upwards and when he spotted the sheriff at the cell door holding a key card, he leapt to his feet and flung his arm out in the direction of the man in power. Jordan remained standing in his place and stared at the sheriff, who had stopped his movements before he could get the key card through the slot, which _would've_ freed him from the cell had that been something that he wanted.

"No!" Jordan barked and quickly lowered his tone to a more appropriate decibel. "I get why you sat me at a desk for six months now."

"Parrish, we can't keep you in here." The sheriff argued and took a step around to the side of the cell, leaning against the bars as Jordan strode across the floor to stand in front of him.

"There's another body, right?" Jordan pointed out and the sheriff was clearly interested in whatever it was that Jordan had to say. If he had to fight against the man in charge to stay locked inside the cell then that's precisely what he'd do, he wasn't going to let anyone or anything get in between him and trying to protect those around him.

"Two, actually."

Jordan lifted his head and rolled his head to the side with a hopeless look on his face. Two, there were two bodies? What was he supposed to do now? One body was bad enough and if things happened the way they had before then he wasn't going to remember taking them, and even now that he was aware of the spot where he was placing them, it wouldn't matter in the long run. He had hurt people who had gotten in his way and he didn't want that.

"I'm the one taking them. I- I don't know why, and I definitely _don't_ remember doing it but if it really was me at the morgue, then I'm dangerous." Jordan confessed. "Okay? You can't let me out, Sheriff." He let his body move away from the bars and when his back was to his boss, he let out a breath, "you can't."

The sheriff didn't make another sound, he didn't try to argue, all he did was walk away, which was evident by the noise of his retreating footsteps echoing in the nearly vacant station. Jordan sauntered back over to the bench and lowered himself down onto it, letting out a frustrated sigh as his butt connected with the surface. He tipped his head back and rested it against the hard, cool, concrete wall, his eyes falling shut in the process.

If this was what he had to do in order to keep himself from hurting others, then wasn't it worth it? Wasn't it all worth the sacrifice?

"Jordan?" Ryan's voice was soft and small and it jarred him back to reality. He knew that he had been sitting alone for a few minutes but he didn't know how long it had been. When he met her gaze, he shook his head and pushed himself up off the bench.

Her hand came out in front of her and she wrapped her delicate fingers around one of the fading gray bars. Jordan tucked his hands into the pockets on his jacket and took his sweet time crossing over the floor but when he reached the bars, he freed his hands and set one on the bars and the other on top of hers.

"Kylie's safe, right?" Jordan quipped and met her eyes. He could see the sadness there, the confusion as to why he felt the need to lock himself up, but he knew that she'd never understand how truly afraid of harming her that he was.

"She's with my dad." Ryan responded without actually answering his question. "He'll do whatever he can to keep her breathing."

"Is that where you're going after this?" Jordan lowered his voice even more, Ryan leaning against the bars to get closer to him. "I think it'd be a good idea for you to stay at his place for a while, at least until this all blows over."

"What exactly is 'this' that needs to blow over?" She didn't flinch as he brought his hand upwards and rested it against the side of her jaw. Ryan leaned into his touch and shut her eyes at the feeling of his warm palm.

"There's two more bodies and if I'm the one taking them, then maybe being behind bars will keep me from doing just that. I hurt people who get between me and them and I don't want to hurt you." He explained and she sucked in a breath.

"Okay." She tipped her head down and looked at his hand, the one that was still covering hers. "But you have to promise to call me as soon as you can."

He shifted his hand on her jaw and lifted her head up so that she was looking right at him. Jordan didn't break eye contact with her and when Ryan blinked at him, he knew that he'd do whatever he could to make her happy and to keep her safe. He'd give up his life to make sure that she continued living and he'd do the exact same thing for Kylie. They were his to look after, his to protect, and once everything died down, he'd make sure that they both knew how hard he'd fight to make sure that they were okay.

Jordan ran his finger over her soft skin and he gave her the tiniest nod he could muster.

"Promise me? You have to say it." Ryan murmured. "It doesn't mean anything if you don't say the words."

Jordan gave her another nod, this one of understanding, and when he was confident that his voice wouldn't falter, he spoke softly to her, "I promise I will call you as soon as I can. I love you Ry, with everything."

"I know. I love you too, just as much." She reluctantly pulled her hands away from the bars but didn't move the rest of her body. Jordan let his grip on her fall away as well but before she could make a move to go, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers, feeling the roughness of the bars against his cheeks. "Be careful."

"I will." He said and took a step backwards, putting space between them.

Ryan took her bottom lip in between her teeth and lifted her hand up to wave at him. Jordan's eyes never left her form until he could no longer see her and even then, he continued to stare at where she had disappeared.

He didn't want to hurt them, he didn't want to put them in harm's way and most importantly, he didn't want to lose them.

They were all he had.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

By the time the sun came up, Jordan was already growing tired and bored while he remained locked in the cell. He missed Ryan a lot, he missed Kylie too and he was most definitely starting to miss dinner, but none of that was going to stop him from trying to keep everyone safe.

Lydia hadn't left the station yet and for that Jordan didn't know if he was upset or thankful. On one hand, he liked that someone sort of understood him, and what he was dealing with, but on the other hand, he knew that he'd much rather be spending his time with Ryan instead of the teenager who apparently had a crush on him.

When she reappeared after a short while away from the cell, she turned her back to the bars and leaned against them. Jordan moseyed across the room and lowered himself down so that he, too, was leaning against the bars. Once he was seated on the cold, hard floor, she dropped down next to him, the bars separating them, keeping him tucked away inside while she was outside, away from his grasp.

After a few more minutes of silence between them, Jordan rolled his hips sideways and leaned his back against the bars, feeling them digging into his shoulder blades. She let her head gently fall against the metal and he let out a sigh, wondering how much longer he'd have to keep himself locked away before he felt comfortable enough to wander around loose in the outside world.

"Go home, Lydia." Jordan commanded but she didn't budge, not even an inch. "Stilinski isn't telling anyone where he put the bodies, and I'm pretty sure I'm not psychic."

"But you're drawn to death, just like me." Lydia responded slowly, her words laced with exhaustion from having spent most of the night in the station with him. He turned his head back to face her as best as he could and she rested her chin on the horizontal bar at the bottom of the cell.

"Does that make me a kind of Banshee?" Jordan questioned and considered the possibilities. If he was a banshee, just like Lydia, would that mean that he'd have someone to guide him through the supernatural?

But he wasn't like Lydia, was he? No, not really. She screamed when someone was about to die, she was drawn to bodies that were fresher than the ones that he took and as far as he was aware, Lydia tended to leave the bodies alone once she _did_ find them. If he _was_ a banshee, well he was certainly a different kind than she was.

"You find bodies." Lydia stated.

"I find chimeras." Jordan corrected but part of him was thankful that the only bodies he _did_ find were those of the failed chimeras. At least that meant that he had a specific type and as far as he knew, neither Ryan or Kylie were chimeras of any sort.

"Dead chimeras." She quipped in response.

Jordan let out a soft sigh and rolled his head back so that he was looking at the wall across the cell from him instead of at Lydia. He wanted her to leave, he wanted her to go home, but he also wanted her to help him figure out what he was supposed to do. There was no way that he was going to get out of the cell on his own accord, there was no way for him to get to the bodies if he was inside, but the cell was something that held humans, not supernatural creatures.

What was truly stopping him if he went into one of his trances and blacked out? Did he have superhuman strength? Was he capable of performing escapes just like the illusionists on television?

"So, we're both harbingers of death." Jordan pointed out and heard her let out a breath. "I should probably add that to my resume."

He knew that his tone sounded less like a joke and more like a pathetic attempt to make himself feel better but did it really matter? Whatever he said, whatever he did, none of it mattered in the long run. He had hours missing from his memories, nights spent away from home without knowing where he was or what he had been doing? As inappropriate as it seemed, what else was he supposed to do besides try to brush the entire situation off as a joke?

"Hmm. It's on my college applications." Lydia joked back but her tone matched his.

His attention was drawn downwards as her fingers brushed over his hand. When she squeezed his knuckles lightly, he retracted his hand and set it on his thigh instead, out of her grasp for good. She wasn't Ryan, she wasn't someone that he wanted to be sharing tender moments with, but she was the best that he had at that moment.

If it were up to him, then he'd be locked away with Ryan on the outside, but in his head, that meant that he'd have to have her near him and he didn't trust himself not to hurt her. She had Kylie to look after too, he couldn't keep her occupied, he shouldn't be the distraction keeping her from taking care of her own daughter, and with that in mind, Jordan rose to his feet and pushed himself away from the bars.

Once he was standing up, he took his time and walked across the room, lowering himself down to sit on the bench against the wall yet again. His eyes dropped to the floor and he stared at his feet, wondering where he wanted to go next with Ryan.

It all came back to her.

He loved her, he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, and if he could just figure out how to keep her safe, how to protect her from the supernatural, then there wouldn't be anything stopping him from making that happen.

Until then though, he'd do whatever he had to in order to keep her from winding up injured, scarred or broken.

"Does it help knowing? Knowing what you are?" Jordan asked, breaking the blanket of silence that had fallen over them. If he could just figure out what he was, well wasn't that the root of most of his problems?

Not knowing how to control his powers, if he had powers, was something he was afraid of. Unintentionally harming Ryan or Kylie was at the forefront of his mind constantly and the fact that he had gone home more than once without knowing where he had been was startling in itself.

"It doesn't scare me as much. That I know." Lydia answered after a beat. "Do I scare you?"

"Once." Jordan countered. Of all the things that he had to be afraid of, Lydia Martin was nowhere near the top of his list. But there had been one time, one terrifying time when she had scared him, chilled his body to the core with fright.

"Really?" Lydia looked almost offended at his admission and Jordan fought off the urge to scoff. She was the one who predicted death, she was the one who found dead bodies, of course she would scare anyone in their right mind, why would Jordan be any different than the average person?

Jordan pushed himself up off the bench and made it across the cell in just a few strides. He came to stand in front of her, leaning on the bars as she stood facing him too. His fingers gripped the horizontal bar and he held her gaze.

She looked at him, willing him to tell her more about the incident that he was thinking about. Jordan met her eyes and noticed the confusion, before she had the chance to voice her concern, he began speaking.

"It was the night I found that werewolf, the one with the talons. I thought I was going to die that night." He confessed, keeping his voice low and even. He had seen Lydia that night, but he had also seen Ryan and Kylie. Whichever one had kept him alive, he wasn't sure, but part of him hoped and prayed that it was his will to stay alive for Ryan that had kept him going.

He absolutely adored her, and Kylie just as much, the thought of losing them, of them _losing_ him was the worst thing imaginable. He couldn't leave Ryan, not like that.

"How come?" Lydia pressed, still wanting to know more, evidently.

"Because I saw you. I saw the Banshee, but I guess it was just a dream or a hallucination." Jordan admitted, leaving out the part about how he had seen the others too. Lydia didn't need to know how special Ryan and Kylie were to him, she didn't need to know that he had a weakness that could so easily be exposed. All she needed to know was that he loved Ryan enough that he wouldn't jeopardize his relationship with her just to spend time with Lydia.

"What was I doing?" Lydia wasn't letting up, she was asking more and more. Jordan didn't know where to draw the line, or where to stop telling her things, things that he feared.

"Trying to keep me alive." Jordan said slowly.

"Well, sorry, but the Banshee was mostly trying to stay out of the rain. That was the night of the storm, remember?" Lydia stated matter-of-factly and he smiled at her, but before he had a chance to make a remark about what she had just said, her eyes widened with realization. He didn't bother her, he didn't interrupt he just waited. "The Wild Hunt."

"The what?" Jordan was completely confused but Lydia brushed off his question for the time being.

"Oh, it's something Kira was telling me." Lydia answered nonchalantly. "A myth about thunderstorms, Ghost Riders in the sky and black dogs-"

She stopped talking and looked off to the side, something flashing in her eyes that looked an awful lot like recognition. Had she remembered something, had she figured something out that would help them in some way?

He gave her a chance to continue but a few seconds of silence later, he knew that she was going to need to be prompted. He stood back away from the bars and looked at her as she continued to gaze sideways.

"What is it?"

"I need to check on something. I'll be right back, don't go anywhere." Lydia made a move to step away and then stopped, meeting his eyes for the first time since she had seemed to fade away. Jordan shot her a look that screamed 'duh, where would I go' and she rolled her eyes at him. "You know what I mean."

Without giving him another chance to object, she was gone, fading away with each and every step. Jordan lifted his hands up into the air and let them gently fall onto the top of his head, then he paced back over to the bench and sat down yet again.

For the first time since he had locked himself in the cell, he was truly alone and he didn't know how to feel.

He knew one thing for sure though, he missed Ryan, and the sooner he could figure out what to do, the sooner he could get back to her and hold her in his arms.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _We're coming to the end of 5A! What have you guys thought so far and what are you expecting (or hoping to see) in 5B?_**

 ** _Thank you so much to those of you that reviewed, favourite and alerted this story!_**

 ** _DJDragon1: Well, soon enough haha_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: I wish I could lock them all up to keep them safe too but that wouldn't make for a very exciting story lol_**

 ** _LoveFiction2016: :D yay!_**

 ** _Alice Williams: Phew, I'm glad to hear that you think he's doing fabulous with Lydia. I think Lydia might be a little jealous ;)_**


	68. Chapter 68

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 68:_**

Ryan hadn't felt all that relaxed while sitting in the middle of her dad's living room floor with Kylie. The two of them were currently building a castle out of Megablocks while her dad was in the kitchen fixing them some nice, hot chocolate. Ryan's mind had been drifting back and forth between Kylie and Jordan; seeing him locked in the cell by his own choice had made her think that maybe there was something that she could do about whatever was going on in Beacon Hills.

She wasn't thinking that she'd be there to try and stop Jordan, or even that she'd want to play a role in solving the mystery as to why he continued to take the bodies, but surely there was something, _anything_ , that she could do. There had to be, she felt completely helpless sitting on the floor just waiting for whatever was supposed to happen to happen.

How was she supposed to know when everything had 'blown over' like Jordan suggested? There was far too much going on for her to know when a good time was to suddenly feel like normal again, especially if the man she loved was stealing dead bodies and now locking himself away so that he didn't unintentionally, and unknowingly, hurt anyone else.

"Mommy." Kylie whined and tossed a Megablock at her head. Ryan just barely got her hand up in time to deflect it, sending the block sailing back down to the ground where it landed between them. "Pay attention, please?"

Ryan shook her head in an attempt to clear the fuzziness from her mind. She was here with Kylie, she was right in front of her little girl, she was what she should be focusing on and not the weird, supernatural things that were going on in her town.

"Sorry Ky-pie." Ryan murmured and shifted on the floor. She moved up onto her knees and leaned over the half built castle in front of her, watching as Kylie continued to stack block after block to make it taller. Ryan nabbed the block that had nearly hit her in the head and with a soft sigh, she offered it to her daughter, Kylie taking it immediately and pressing it onto the top row of the castle wall. "Your castle is really starting to take shape."

"Can you help me build a tower?" Kylie paused in her building and looked up at her mother with wide, excitement filled eyes. "Wait, no, two, one for each side?"

"Two towers, boy Ky, that's a lot of work."

"Is it really?" Kylie deflated but Ryan reached an arm out, slipping it around Kylie's back.

"You're just lucky that your dad taught me a thing or two about tower building." Ryan teased and Kylie scooted across the floor, scurrying into Ryan's hold and sitting on her thighs.

"Daddy was a good tower builder." Kylie's eyes fell down to the floor and Ryan tipped her head to the side, wondering how much of her father that Kylie really remembered. Surely she would've been too young to recall a lot of the times Cole had spent with her but was she old enough to remember bits and pieces?

Ryan held Kylie against her chest, hugging her tight, and leaned down, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. Kylie simply relaxed into Ryan's grasp, both girls letting out soft sighs, happy to be right next to each other.

"I bet Jordan's a good tower builder too though." Ryan pointed out and glanced back to the doorway to the living room, spotting her own father wandering towards them with a small tray holding three hot chocolates and a small bowl of marshmallows. There were also three silver spoons laying on the tray as well as a straw for Kylie, who's hot chocolate had been cooled down with a couple of ice cubes so that she didn't burn her mouth.

"Maybe." Kylie answered with a shrug and looked up at her grandpa, who slowly lowered himself down to the floor to sit next to Ryan, setting the tray on the coffee table nearby. "Is it okay to miss him?"

Ryan stiffened at Kylie's question and before she knew it, Ken's arm snaked around her shoulders and he moved closer to the two of them, hugging Ryan as she hugged Kylie.

"Of course it's okay to miss him Ky-pie." Ken supplied and stole a look at Ryan, who was clearly at a loss for words.

"Okay, I just didn't know because we have Jordan now." Kylie replied. "He's good and I love him but I still miss daddy."

Ryan dropped her head down and gently rested her chin against the top of Kylie's head. Ken leaned forward and pressed a sweet little kiss against Ryan's hair, hoping to soothe his daughter before she started to cry in front of Kylie, which was something that he knew she wouldn't want to do.

"You're allowed to miss him." Ken reassured the little girl. "And no matter what, Jordan will always understand that. He'd never get mad at you, or upset at you, for missing your daddy."

Kylie twisted in Ryan's hold and looked up at her grandpa, taking in the sight of him smiling at her. She nodded her understanding and settled back against Ryan, lifting her little hand up and pressing her palm against Ken's wrist.

"I really like Jordan." Kylie mumbled and let out a small sigh.

"So do I." Ken agreed and when Ryan stole another look at him, she forced a sad smile onto her face. "He's a good man."

Ryan wholeheartedly agreed yet her mind continued to drift to the sight of Jordan tucked away behind the bars of the holding cell. He thought he was a danger to people around him and in order for him to feel that he was keeping his family safe, he had decided that thick, metal bars were the only thing that could make that happen.

When he had called her, assumingly before he had locked himself away, Ryan hadn't even considered taking Kylie to see him. She'd take one look at him in the cell and then proceed to ask a million questions, most prominently in Ryan's mind was most likely 'why is Jordan in jail like a bad guy', and having to explain to her daughter that he wasn't a bad guy just seemed like a complicated process that she could easily avoid.

Plus it wasn't like the station was a good place to take a toddler anyways and Ryan wasn't even sure if Deputy Haigh still worked there or not. He was enough to send chills down her spine and she certainly didn't want to have to deal with the inappropriate advances he made while Kylie was there. Luckily for her though, Haigh hadn't been there when she had gone to see Jordan, but of course, maybe he didn't work there anymore at all.

Jordan hadn't mentioned him since the night that Haigh had lit him on fire and Ryan could only imagine the reaming out he'd get from the sheriff before promptly being fired and arrested for attempted murder, but having Haigh be allowed to continue being a deputy wouldn't be the most unusual thing she'd ever witnessed in Beacon Hills. Bringing Haigh up to Jordan never crossed her mind and it wasn't something that she cared to talk about; it'd only serve to set Ryan on edge and possibly make Jordan upset.

"Is he going to be my new daddy someday?" Kylie quipped, immediately bringing Ryan's attention to her. "Is _Jordan_ going to be my new daddy?"

"I guess it's a very real possibility, but only if that's something you'd want." Ryan responded carefully, unsure how Kylie would react.

"Would I get to _call_ him daddy?" Kylie narrowed her eyes in on Ryan.

"Well we'd have to talk to him about it but I don't think he'd have a problem with it." Ryan answered. Suddenly she was thinking about the baby and how once it was welcomed to the world that Jordan would actually really _be_ a daddy. If he had his own child that would one day call him 'dad' then was it so farfetched of an idea that Kylie would one day be able to call him that too?

Maybe the time to talk to Jordan about Kylie being able to call him 'daddy' was closer than Ryan originally believed. It wasn't like Jordan had ever expressed to her that he was against the idea but they weren't anything more than dating at the current moment. Ryan knew that there were bigger things to worry about then their status as a couple, but she was already pregnant, wasn't marriage the next step?

"Can I go back to playing with my blocks now?" Kylie questioned and Ryan found herself smiling at the girl in her hold.

Without keeping her away from her castle any longer, Ryan released her hold on Kylie and watched as she scurried across the floor, right back to her blocks, where she sat down and went right back to building up the castle walls. Ryan shook her head in amusement and leaned against her father, basking in the feeling of him being right there next to her.

"Thanks dad." Ryan whispered.

"You're _my_ little girl Ry, there's no reason to thank me, for anything." Ken said in a soft voice. "No matter what happens, I'll always be here for you and that little girl over there."

She watched as Kylie stacked block after block, making the wall higher and higher, and it wasn't until she felt her cell phone vibrating in the front pocket of her jeans that she dared to make a move. Was this Jordan's call, just like he had promised?

Ken lifted his arms away from Ryan, gave her an encouraging nod and crawled across the floor to take a seat next to Kylie. Ryan fished her phone free and when she looked at the screen, she furrowed her eyebrows together in confusion. Okay, well, this certainly wasn't Jordan's number, but the person's name on the screen was still rather important to her. Why was Melissa McCall calling her, and especially so late into the evening?

Without thinking any more about it, Ryan hit the answer button and lifted the phone up to her ear.

"Ryan!" Melissa's voice called out to her and she didn't even get a chance to say hello.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" Ryan tried to keep her voice level and calm for Kylie's sake but with the sheer panic in Melissa's tone, it was hard to do just that. There were very few times when Ryan had seen Melissa in a state of panic and each and every time it made her a little fearful of what was to come.

The older woman didn't get riled up over just anything and with all the weird things happening lately in Beacon Hills, and more specifically the hospital, Ryan figured this wasn't just a casual phone call.

"I'm, uh, yeah, I'm fine. I need your help though." Melissa seemed to calm down the slightest little bit but it was still fairly obvious that she wasn't going to relax completely any time soon.

"With what?" Ryan fired back, fearful of what her friend was going to ask of her.

"With, well, with Hayden. Do you think you could meet me at the hospital?" Melissa got right into it but Ryan still didn't know what exactly her friend was asking for her help with. Ryan knew that she was panicked though, and she knew that if Melissa was asking her for help then that meant it was a serious situation, so what choice did she have, really?

"Uh, yeah, I can be there in about twenty minutes." Ryan gave in and looked over to her dad, who was watching her carefully. He forced a smile at her and motioned his hand in Kylie's direction, who was still busy enough playing blocks not to be bothered paying any attention to Ryan. "Where in the hospital did you want to meet?"

"Back door, down where they're doing the construction."

"Uh, right." Ryan lifted a hand up and ran it through her hair in a nervous manner. "Okay, I'll be there."

Melissa didn't say anything more, instead she simply hung up the phone and left Ryan sitting in her father's living room confused as all get out. Ryan lowered the phone away from her ear and tucked it back into her pocket before meeting her father's curious gaze.

"I got Kylie, we'll be fine." Ken stated without any prompting and Ryan cautiously made her way to her feet.

"I don't know when I'll be back." Ryan confessed and once she was standing, she stepped over to Kylie and bent down, pressing a kiss against the little girl's head. "But I promise I _will_ be back."

"Okay." Ken nodded and Kylie paused in her playing long enough to wrap her arms around Ryan's legs, hugging her tightly for a few seconds before letting go.

"Love you mommy." Kylie said softly.

"I love you too Kylie, okay, be good for grandpa." Ryan instructed and reluctantly pulled away from her little girl. She headed out of the living room but paused in the doorway, glancing back at her dad and her daughter, who were already back to focusing on their block castle. Ken peeled his eyes off of Kylie for a few seconds and locked them on Ryan.

When he mouthed the words 'be careful', all she could do was nod in response.

What was Melissa pulling her in to?

Ryan was definitely nervous to find out.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Sneaking into the hospital hadn't been the hard part, no, Ryan knew the place like the back of her hand, the hard part was locating Melissa in the part of the building that was under construction. There were too many places for her friend to have snuck in to, too many rooms that were unoccupied and out of the way.

There were plastic sheets hanging everywhere and the light, where there even was any, was dim, too dim for her to comfortably wander down the hallway without feeling a little bit scared. It was certainly creepy in the basement and Ryan knew what sorts of hazards lingered nearby, and that wasn't even taking into account the supernatural aspect of Beacon Hills. This was a construction zone and as far as she was concerned, people shouldn't even be down here, but yet what other option did she have?

Melissa had called her and asked for her help, if it had been anyone else who was on the other end of the line when she answered, she would've been more inclined to deny them and hang up right then and there. Melissa was different though, she was her friend, her co-worker and most importantly, she was her only human link to the supernatural.

Yes, Melissa would always be there for her when she needed help, so Ryan felt obligated to do the same.

"Melissa?" Ryan called out and stepped closer to the dust covered wall, searching for her friend in the darkness. She didn't want to be too loud for fear that someone- or worse, _something_ \- might hear her, but at the same time, she needed to find Melissa and the only way she knew how to search effectively was to call out.

Tucking her hand into her pocket, Ryan grasped her cell phone in her hand and freed the device from the material of her jeans. She held it out, the screen lighting up the hallway just enough so that she could see directly in front of her, and just well enough so as not to walk into anything. Ryan kept her eyes focused on the floor in front of her and when she rounded the corner, she sucked in a breath and tried to will herself not to be afraid.

It was eerie as all get out where she was and she was spooked to the core. If it hadn't been for Melissa needing her help then she gladly would've stayed back with Kylie and her dad, where it was safe.

"Melissa?" Ryan hissed and ran her free hand against the rough surface of the nearby wall. She approached an elevator and just when she was about to pass it, it let out a decently loud dinging noise and the doors opened.

Standing inside was a young kid that looked vaguely familiar. She froze in her position and he stared back at her with a confused expression, for a few seconds, neither one of them spoke but when the elevator threatened to disappear, he stepped off of it and stood in front of her, never breaking eye contact.

"I'm Mason." He announced and struggled to keep all of the medical supplies he had in his hands. Ryan reached out and nabbed the packets of gauze that fell over his arm, tucking them against her own body instead.

"Ryan," Ryan countered and took a split second to look him up and down, "I'm going to assume you know where Melissa is?"

"Yeah, follow me." Mason instructed and without another word between them, without another second of hesitation, he took off, heading down the hall a little bit further and into one of the darkened rooms.

Ryan's eyes widened at the sight hidden away inside: a young girl on the table in the centre of the room while a heartrate monitor was beeping loudly from the corner. Melissa lifted her hands up in surrender and caught Ryan's attention, offering her a half-hearted shrug. Mason cleared his throat and immediately drew Melissa's attention towards him.

"Over here, yeah." Melissa gave him a nod and motioned towards the small table that she had set up next to her.

"Shouldn't we be talking to one of the doctors?" Mason questioned while Ryan stepped around the table and took a stance next to her friend. She glanced down at the girl on the table and winced at the sight.

Whatever was going on here wasn't just some run of the mill operation, no, this was bad and Ryan knew that this girl was something supernatural.

"I've been wrestling with that for hours; do we bring them in and watch them treat her as a normal patient, while we stand here knowing that's not going to work? Or do we keep trying everything medically possible to save her, while her body does things that _shouldn't be_ medically possible?" Melissa explained to the young boy.

"What's happening to her?" Ryan quipped and ran her hand over the girl's sweaty forehead.

"Is she dying?" Mason threw in, panic lacing his tone. Whoever this girl was, she meant something to him. Whether it was a friend, a girlfriend, or simply a classmate, it didn't matter to Ryan, she wasn't going to just stand there watching while this girl faded out of their lives in front of their very eyes.

"With the amount of mercury in her body right now, she shouldn't even be alive." Melissa shot back and locked her eyes on Ryan. "I need your help, I don't know what to try at this point and I'm open for suggestions."

Ryan's eyes widened in shock and she raised her hands up, running them through her hair as she took in the sight of the nearly unconscious girl in front of her. Melissa had mentioned that her body was laced with mercury, well mercury was poisonous in small doses, how the hell was this girl surviving if her body was full of it?

"Maybe we could…" Ryan trailed off and glanced around the room, taking in the sight of the supplies that they had. "What if we tried to bleed it out of her?"

"Plan B?" Melissa remarked and grabbed hold of a scalpel that had been residing on the table with the rest of the supplies. "If that doesn't work?"

"Jesus, I don't know." Ryan cursed and took the scalpel as Melissa handed it over. "Maybe we need to pray that this works."

Before she even had to ask, Melissa held an old bedpan underneath the girl's arm. Ryan raised the scalpel up and pressed the edge against the inside of her elbow, slicing through the skin and breaking ruthlessly into the vein. When silver liquid oozed out of the small incision, Ryan sucked in a breath and silently prayed that this would work, or at the very least, give them a little bit more time to come up with another solution.

"Is it working?" Mason inquired and Ryan made another small incision next to the first one, ripping into another vein and watching as more and more silver liquid ran over the girl's skin and into the bedpan. "What about like a transfusion?"

"Where would we get that much blood?" Ryan tipped her head up and met Mason's gaze, immediately regretting her words. He was only a teenager, who was trying to help, she hadn't meant to be so defensive. "Sorry, but we're limited here on what we can try."

"It's okay." Mason bowed his head, apparently understanding the severity of the situation and how completely ill-equipped the two females were to handle whatever the hell was going on. "What about an IV with something in it?"

Ryan took the boy's words to heart and stole a glance at Melissa, who shook her head in response.

"I already sort of tried that at the vet's." Melissa confessed and Ryan's eyebrows knitted together at the mentioning of the vet's. "Long story, obviously we don't have the freedom to just take her anywhere."

"Right." Ryan nodded her understanding. "I don't know if this is working."

"More incisions?" Mason offered and Ryan quickly handed him the scalpel. As he stood on the other side of the girl, he hesitantly grabbed hold of the sharp, metal instrument and followed the motions that Ryan had made seconds earlier. He cut into her skin and when silver bubbled out of the wound, he reared his hand back and promptly handed the scalpel back to Ryan.

"We can try a bigger vein." Ryan supplied. "But I don't know if it'd hurt her more than help her."

"We can try." Melissa stated firmly and reached for the blade. Without thinking too much about it, Ryan let her have it and was reduced to watching as Melissa drove the tip into the base of the girl's neck and cut down towards her heart.

Silver rushed out of the wound and Ryan nabbed a bunch of gauze as she tried to keep it from going everywhere, Mason soon joining in. Together, the two of them kept the girl's body as free from the mercury as possible, but when Melissa was done cutting, she grabbed her hand and pressed her fingers against her wrist, checking her pulse.

Nobody said a word as Melissa held the girl's hand in hers and pulled out her cell phone. Ryan watched in awe as she dialed a number and held the device up to her ear, waiting for someone to pick up on the other end of the line. When no one seemed to answer, Melissa tucked her phone back into her pocket and met Ryan's gaze.

"How's she doing?" Ryan asked in a soft voice and Melissa shook her head no.

"Oh, no, no, no, no I think you better get Liam." Melissa announced and Ryan stared at the girl's still bleeding neck wound. Without warning, her skin repaired itself cruelly and the silver flow nearly ceased.

"What about Scott?" Mason fired back, anxious as to what was happening in front of him.

"He's not answering, and if Liam wants to be with her, he needs to get here now, because she's dying, and I don't know what else to do. Ryan?" Melissa held Ryan's gaze and Ryan reluctantly shook her head no. "Go. I will text you if anything changes, just get him here, Mason. Go."

Mason took off for the doorway and disappeared into the hallway. As soon as he was gone, Ryan picked up the abandoned scalpel and drove the tip into the girl's other wrist, still trying to draw out more of the mercury. She wasn't going to give up, she wasn't going to throw the towel in, she was going to do as much as she could and even if she didn't know what else to do, she wasn't going to stop trying.

Ryan continued to make incisions into the girl's veins while Melissa held her hand, her eyes glued to the screen of the monitor next to her. Ryan paused in her cutting and looked at Melissa with a frustrated look on her face. Whatever was happening to this girl, whatever had been done to her to make her this way, was just cruel, She was just a kid, someone's little girl, and at that thought, her mind drifted to Kylie.

"Ryan, I don't think…I don't think she's going to make it." Melissa spoke softly and Ryan didn't answer at first. She didn't want to admit defeat, she didn't want to agree with her, but with each and every minute that passed, it was easy to see that the girl on the table was getting worse. "I think we have to stop."

Ryan looked down at her hand, the one holding the scalpel, and she noticed that it was shaking something awful. If this was what her life had come to, if she was the one who held this girl's life in her hands, then she owed it to her, and everyone else that cared about her, to do everything she possibly could.

"What happened to her?" Ryan questioned in a murmur.

"She's one of the chimeras." Melissa answered and a silence fell over them. Ryan's thoughts were of Kylie, the chance that this could one day happen to her was gut wrenching, and if this girl on the table died, then who was going to tell her parents, or the rest of her family?

With one last pathetic attempt, Ryan continued to rip into her veins, no one cared any more about the mercury spilling out onto the table. Melissa just held her hand, watching as a silver streak erupted from out of the girl's eye and traveled down over her smooth, pale looking skin.

When the monitor turned from a rhythmic beeping to a solid flat line, Ryan growled in frustration and threw the scalpel across the room, watching as it embedded itself in the wall a good ten feet away.

"You need to get Scott." Ryan whispered. "And Mason too."

Melissa hesitantly removed her hand from the girl's wrist and took a step back, meeting Ryan's gaze.

"Her name is Hayden, I'm sorry we couldn't do more." Melissa explained in a low tone.

Melissa flashed Ryan a somber smile before wandering out of the room. As soon as she hit the hallway, she took off in a run, her footsteps fading as she got further and further away. Ryan gripped the edge of the table so hard that her knuckles turned white and she leaned over the girl- Hayden- before sucking in a deep breath.

If she was a chimera and she was gone, that meant that Jordan would eventually come for her body. He'd have to get her at some point and even if he was locked in a cell, that wouldn't hold him forever.

Before she had a chance to consider any other possibilities, little Liam erupted into the room. As soon as he laid eyes on Hayden, he froze and shook his head.

"No, no, no." Liam chanted and stepped into the room. "No this isn't happening."

"I'm sorry." Ryan whispered and pushed herself away from the table. Liam closed in on it and slipped his arms underneath her body. Her cradled her against him and dropped down to sit on the floor, holding her tightly in his arms as he cried.

She didn't know how long she stood there and watched, she didn't know what to do or if she was supposed to leave them alone, but when a nearly naked figure appeared in the doorway in front of her, she gasped.

Jordan wasn't in the cell anymore, he was standing right in front of her, and at the sight of Liam still gripping Hayden's lifeless body, Ryan knew that she had to give him more time, even if it was just a few more seconds.

"Jordan?" Ryan called out to him in a soothing tone and Jordan's steps slowed significantly. She looked into his eyes, his glowing orange eyes, and held her breath as she made her way between him and Liam.

Coming to a stop in front of Liam, who was still sitting on the floor, she raised her hands up and pressed them against Jordan's chest, feeling the heat radiating from his skin easily. He didn't move, he didn't flinch and without thinking about the consequences, or what he might do to her, she moved onto her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his.

He was clearly in a trance, just like he had been when he had taken the body from the morgue, but she had to prove to herself that she wasn't afraid of him. She was sick of being scared and she wanted Jordan in her life no matter what. He'd never hurt anyone intentionally and maybe if she could get through to him, if she could just crack through the supernatural side of him, then maybe she stood a chance at helping him control it.

She relaxed against him as she continued to kiss him and when she leaned back, she met his eyes, watching as they flickered from the glowing orange to his usual green colour.

"Ryan?" He murmured and she moved her hand up, running her fingers across his jaw.

"I love you, no matter what." She murmured right back and in a split second, his eyes were glowing orange once more.

She removed her hands from him and took a step to the side, letting him get to Liam. She dropped her head but watched as Jordan bent down and scooped Hayden out of Liam's arms. She could only hold her breath as he turned around and headed out the door, leaving her in his wake.

She glanced down at Liam but he was already making his way to his feet. He too headed for the door, leaving her all alone in the makeshift hospital room.

Ryan blew out the breath she had been holding and let the sadness envelope her. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she cried for Hayden, for Liam and more importantly, for everything that had ever happened to her because of the supernatural.

When would it ever end?

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

 _ **And that's the end of 5A, what did you guys think?**_

 _ **5B will be posted on Monday but I'd love to hear what you guys thought or what you want to see happen!**_

 _ **Thank you to those of you that read and reviewed!**_


	69. Chapter 69

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary:_ _One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 _ **Chapter 69** **:**_

Bright lights, what…what was going on? Where was Lydia, no, he just saw her, where did she go? She had said that someone was dying, she _knew_ that someone was dying, but that was all he got.

Jordan blinked, trying to clear the fuzziness in his head and that's when he looked up and realized exactly what the lights belonged to.

A car? Was that a car?

Jordan threw himself forward as he recognized where he was, which was behind the wheel of his SUV. Where was Lydia? Had she merely been another hallucination of his or had she been real?

"What?" He barked and wrapped his hands around the steering wheel, his foot slammed down on the brakes and he tried to keep himself from getting hit head on by the car in the other lane.

It wasn't hard to regain control of the vehicle, no, the hard part was figuring out why he couldn't remember what had happened and how he had ended up in the car to star with. Hadn't he been locked in the cell at the station, was that not where he had remembered being last?

What had he done? How had he gotten out and where had he been going to?

"Ryan." Jordan shook his head slightly and maneuvered so that the car was back in control and heading for the side of the road. If he could just get it stopped then he'd feel much better about what just happened, if only he could remember exactly _what_ that was. "Ryan you had better be okay."

As soon as the vehicle was stopped and parked on the side of the road, Jordan fished around in his pockets for his cell phone. It had been tucked into the pocket on his jacket and as soon as his fingers touched it, he grabbed it and yanked it free, looking down at the screen to see if maybe, just maybe, Ryan had tried to call him.

There were no missed calls though and no missed text messages, but what exactly did that mean for him? Had he been answering calls and texts while he had been out of his mind and what the hell time was it anyways, how long had it been since he could recall being anywhere close to coherent?

Without hesitating for a second, he dialed Ryan's cell phone number and lifted the device up to his ear. She didn't answer on the first ring, nor did she answer on the second but before the third ring could finish, her voice cut into his thoughts and Jordan let out a sigh of relief. He hadn't hurt _her_ , he hadn't harmed her at all but he could tell by her tone that she was surprised to hear from him.

"Ryan, thank god." He breathed the words out and Ryan sucked in a breath. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." She said softly in response. "I'm just…Hayden's not though."

"Hayden?" Jordan furrowed his eyebrows together at the name and tried to figure out whether or not he recognized the name at all. Was he supposed to know who that was? Had he done something to this Hayden? "Ryan, what are you talking about?"

"You came and took her body away." Ryan stated, still calm considering he had no idea what was going on or what she was even talking about. "You showed up here, at the hospital, and took her body out of Liam's hands. That's the last I saw of either of you."

"I took her…I took her body?" Jordan stiffened in the seat and turned his head to look out onto the road. "I don't remember."

"I figured you wouldn't. Your eyes were glowing when you showed up, they were orange." Ryan said. "I kissed you and they flickered back to normal for a quick second but when you left, they were orange again. Jordan, where are you?"

"I'm…on the side of the road."

"But where?" She pressed.

"I'm not exactly sure. I have no idea where I was, or what I was doing."

A silence fell over them and Jordan waited for her to say something. She didn't make a noise though, she didn't sigh, she didn't even breathe loud enough for him to hear and if it wasn't for the fact that he hadn't heard the click of her hanging up, he would've considered the possibility that Ryan had ended the call.

He continued to wait though, giving her time to process what he had said, or even what she had said she saw. She claimed that he had been at the hospital, he had taken Hayden's body, but that didn't explain anything, not even the slightest. In fact, more questions arose and Jordan found himself wondering what exactly _she_ had been doing.

"Jordan…" Ryan sighed. "You scare me."

"I know." Jordan agreed with her and in his head he added _I scare me too_ but she didn't need to hear that, he knew all she wanted was for him to be okay, for him to be safe. "Why are you at the hospital?"

So if he couldn't handle hearing how truly worried she sounded then he'd simply change the conversation. It wasn't like he was simply out to distract her, he honestly wanted to know what she was up to and why she had been there when he had scooped up Hayden's body.

"I was trying to _save_ Hayden, Melissa called me, she asked for my help." Ryan explained. "Now I'm here trying to clean up as best as I can."

"Did you need help?" Jordan offered and hoped that she'd turn him down. If Ryan was okay, if she wasn't the one dying, that meant he still had to figure out who was. He'd go and help her if she needed it, she would be put first, but that didn't mean he wasn't still concerned over what Lydia had said to him.

"No, I'm almost done." Ryan stated. "It's fine."

"You sure?" He wanted to make sure that she was okay on her own, he wanted her to survive without him but most importantly, he wanted to soften the blow when he informed her of what he really felt the need to do: find Lydia.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Just be careful Jordan, okay." She replied and Jordan gathered up every ounce of courage he had for the next part. He had to tell Ryan that he was going after Lydia.

"I have to find Lydia." He spoke softly but firmly and prayed that she wouldn't get too upset with him. "I have to find her and make sure she's okay."

"Okay." She murmured in response. "You do what you have to do, but come home to me, promise you'll come home to me."

Jordan held his breath for a few seconds and let his eyes fall shut, his mind filling up with images of Ryan and Kylie: his family, his everything.

"I promise. If you need me, you call." Jordan offered.

"I will. I love you."

He opened his mouth to respond but he was promptly cut off by the dial tone. She had hung up, without letting him say his 'I love you' back to her. Was she really that upset? Was she angrier with him than he originally believed?

Of course she was, how blind could he be? Lydia Martin, in Ryan's eyes, wasn't someone that she felt the need to worry about, except when it came to him. Jordan knew that she didn't like it when he went off alone with the teenager but this time was different, she had to understand that? Didn't she?

He pulled the phone back and flipped through his contacts. When he found the number belonging to Lydia, he hit the 'call' button and waited for her to answer. When it clicked into voicemail, he let out a growl and knew that she wasn't just ignoring him. She never ignored his calls, not unless something had happened to her and if he had seen her in his hallucination, what did that mean for the two of them? She was gone, something had gotten to her, that's what his gut was telling him and his gut was rarely wrong.

Moving the phone away from his ear, he hit the 'end call' button and then dialed the number to the sheriff's station, hoping that they had information for him. Maybe they had seen Lydia, maybe someone had called already regarding her or maybe, just maybe, something had happened to her and the station already knew.

When Deputy Clark answered with a sharp bark of her name, Jordan sat up straighter in the front seat of his SUV and willed himself to keep it together. She didn't need to be dragged into something she didn't understand, did she?

"I need help trying to find a female teenager." Jordan explained vaguely and heard the deputy let out a groan of frustration. "Please?"

"What are you talking about?" Clark countered and he could hear how rattled she was. Whether it was from his phone call or something else, he didn't know for sure but she was definitely off, something was bothering her.

"I can't say how I know, but Lydia Martin is missing." Jordan said firmly, hoping that she would say something to prove him wrong. He desperately wanted to believe that she was okay but-

"Parrish, _you're_ missing." Deputy Clark argued. "And some people here are really confused by your behavior, me included."

His mind drifted back to the last coherent thing he could remember. Yes, he _had_ been locked in the cell at the station and there hadn't been anyone around that would let him out, especially after he had insisted that he be left locked away. Did that mean that he had gotten out of the cell on his own, and if that _was_ the case, how had he managed to do just that?

"I know," Jordan sighed and looked out the front of his vehicle, "and I'm going to try to explain it. But I need you to find whoever's available-"

"Parrish, no one's available. Do you have any idea what's going on?" Clark cut him off and Jordan winced at her tone. "The high school sign _somehow_ ended up in one of the hallways, the library is completely wrecked, there _might_ be a prehistoric animal running around the streets, and I am starting to seriously think about a transfer."

Okay, so maybe if she was already starting to question her sanity, and that of the town, then he wouldn't have to explain _all_ that much to her later anyways. What did he really have to lose at this point though? Would it really make matters worse if she thought he was absolutely out of his mind?

No, no it didn't.

"Okay, listen, I promise I'm going to explain what I can later but, right now, I've got to find Lydia." Jordan insisted.

"Parrish-" Clark started but Jordan was quick to cut her off.

"I have to find her."

He didn't bother waiting for Clark to reply, he didn't care what she had to say, he had to find Lydia. She was the priority and she'd be _his_ priority unless Ryan needed him. He didn't know what to do, or where to start but maybe, if he could get back to the Nemeton, if he could find his way back to the place where he was taking the bodies, then he could at least see for himself what he had done that night.

With no idea what he was really doing, he put the SUV back into gear, slowly pulled back out onto the road and headed in the direction of the preserve. At the very least, he'd get a good idea as to who Hayden was, if he had taken her body there at all.

The drive was quick and by the time he spotted the place that he had parked the time before when he was with Lydia, he felt a little bit better about his entire predicament. Ryan was okay, she was at the hospital, which was a relatively safe place, right, it had to be. At the very least, there were other people there and if she did, god forbid, wind up hurt, at least there were medical professionals there to help her.

Hopping out of the SUV and slinging a bag up onto his shoulder, he broke out into a brisk walk into the thick brush. It wasn't hard to see that the night was getting worse and worse with each passing second but what could Jordan do? What was he capable of doing in order to save those around him?

He was doing his best, he was trying and so long as Ryan and Kylie made it through without any harm coming to them, then that was all he could really ask for. But now was his time to focus on Lydia, he needed to find her, he needed to know what she had been talking about when she had informed him that someone was dying.

Pausing just on the edge of the pathway, he opened his bag and fished out a flashlight. Hitting the button, it lit up and Jordan let out a breath, well at least now he could see better and if he could see then maybe he could find Lydia without too much difficulty. Unfortunately the further into the preserve that he went, the wackier the flashlight seemed to get.

It flickered and went out only to come back on a split second later. That wouldn't do but so long as it was producing a beam, then he'd save the flare for an emergency.

"Lydia! Lydia!" Jordan called out, hoping for an answer. He took a few more steps, gave the flashlight a hard whack on the side and fought back a growl as it died. He waited a few seconds, shook it in his hands but it remained dead, leaving him in the midst of the trees without any light.

Okay, this was definitely emergency time.

He moved the bag off his back and reached his hand in, wrapping his fingers around the flare that was tucked in the bottom. When it was firmly grasped in his hands, he flipped the cap across the end and the flame sprung to life.

Jordan lifted the flare upwards and felt a shiver run through his body. The last thing he saw before his mind went completely blank was Ryan.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

His first instinct had been to call Ryan and ask him what he was supposed to do with Lydia seeing as she was freezing cold and probably in shock and that wasn't even including the fact that she was completely out of it. Her eyes were pretty much glazed over and Jordan didn't think twice about hauling her up off the ground, once he snapped a picture of the symbol she had etched into a nearby stone with her own finger nails.

It was when she was situated in the backseat of the car, her body strewn across the seat, that Jordan reconsidered his idea of calling Ryan. Sure she'd be able to help him from a medical standpoint but then he'd have to explain to her what sort of condition he had found her in and why he hadn't just loaded her up and taken her to the hospital.

Well he wasn't about to hand her over to Beacon Hills Memorial, not until he had a supernatural opinion, which is precisely the reason why he was currently ushering Lydia into the McCall household in search of Scott.

The fact that Scott had been lying face down on the hardwood floor had been alarming to Jordan to say the least, he couldn't really have expected it, but yet here was Scott, out cold on the floor of his very own house when Jordan was already in a state of panic. He didn't know what to do with Lydia and finding Scott on the floor hadn't made him feel any better about the situation, everything seemed to be working against him and he found himself wondering if maybe Ryan was the right answer after all.

She'd know what to do, wouldn't she? After all, Lydia wasn't as supernatural as Scott, she didn't heal like he did, she wasn't able to hear and see like him and she certainly wasn't as strong as Scott, but was her body and it's reactions, human enough that Ryan, or any team of medical professionals, could help her?

Jordan didn't know and he didn't want to take that chance just yet.

"Scott?" Jordan called out to the boy, leaving Lydia standing on her own a few feet behind him. He glanced back at her, taking in the sight of her head tipped to the side as if it weighed too much for her neck. His eyes grazed over her bloodied fingertips where her nails had once resided and were now nothing more than mangled stumps of flesh. "Scott?"

Jordan dropped to his knees next to Scott's body and lifted his hands up, preparing himself to jar the kid with the hopes that it would rouse him from his state of unconsciousness. His first priority was waking Scott up, then his next priority was helping Lydia, of course that all hinged on Scott being okay.

If Scott was worse off than Jordan originally believed then he'd have a whole other priority list to take care of, after all, Scott wasn't as easy for him to help. He didn't know why Scott had been on the floor, he didn't know what was happening to the poor teenaged boy but he knew that Lydia needed some sort of help. Scott was a different ball game, okay, Scott was a totally different sport.

"Scott, wake up. Scott." Jordan nudged him hard and it seemed that all it took to get the true alpha to wake up was a good jerk. Scott's eyes popped open and he sucked in a ragged breath, struggling to push himself off the floor. "Are you all right?"

Scott glanced around the hallway and tried to gather his composure. Jordan was thankful that he was up and awake but that didn't mean they were out of the woods just yet. Lydia still needed help and if there was a bigger reason as to why Scott had been face down on the floor then that would also need to be dealt with.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." Scott responded and forced his body into a sitting position.

"You're bleeding." Jordan pointed out, taking in the sight of the red spot on his white t-shirt. Wasn't Scott supposed to heal quickly, wasn't he strong enough to survive almost anything? If that was true, then why was he wounded, why was there blood oozing out of his chest?

"It's not that bad." Scott countered with a quick look down at his wound. "Why are you here?"

"I need your help." Jordan shot back and he could tell that Scott was even more confused with his answer than before he had posed the question.

"With what?" Scott asked and shook his head slightly, trying to clear the fuzziness of his brain. Jordan turned his head back and glanced over his shoulder, his eyes locking on Lydia as Scott followed his gaze. When he spotted Lydia, he let out a quick, sharp gasp.

"With her." Jordan reached his hand back and motioned to Lydia. The girl was still in the exact spot that he had left her in upon his arrival. She hadn't budged, she hadn't even flinched, it was as if she was a doll who couldn't move on her own and that thought alone freaked Jordan right out. "I found her out in the woods, her body was freezing, she was practically hypothermic, that wasn't even the worst part…"

Jordan let his sentence trail off as he dug into his pocket and produced his cell phone. As quickly as he could, he ran his fingers across the screen and pulled up the photo that he had snapped of the symbol on the stone. The cell phone turned over in his hands and Jordan showed Scott what he had witnessed at the Nemeton, the very lines that Lydia had clawed into the hard, rough surface of the rock that hadn't been too far away from her body.

Scott flinched at the picture and Jordan flipped the phone back over and slid it into his pocket. The two of them stole another quick look back at Lydia and Jordan fought off the urge to growl in frustration.

"It's a badge, a sheriff's badge." Jordan explained, passing over his knowledge on what he believed the symbol to be. Scott gave a quick shake of his head, so subtle that Jordan barely caught it.

"No," Scott remarked calmly and looked passed Jordan and back to Lydia, "it's a warning."

"What do we do?" Jordan quipped and bounced up to his feet, offering Scott his hand in the process. He grabbed hold of Jordan's wrist and hauled himself to his feet, falling in next to Jordan as the two of them walked down the hallway and stood on either side of Lydia. "Where do we take her?"

"My best guess, the hospital." Scott answered with a small shrug. "This is beyond me."

Jordan cocked his head to the side but brushed off Scott's remark. Okay, while Scott wasn't as helpful as he would've liked, at least he provided Jordan with a slight bit of relief. At least if they took Lydia to a hospital then she stood a chance at surviving, right?

"Let's go." Jordan instructed and slipped his arms under Lydia's legs, lifting her off the ground and carrying her, bridal style, through the house and back to the front door. Scott was trailing along right behind him and as soon as he was outside, Jordan sucked in a breath of fresh air and prayed that Lydia would make it, she had to, she couldn't die.

"Parrish." Scott broke the silence between them and Jordan slowed his movements but he didn't stop. He moseyed on over to the other side of his vehicle and finagled with the handle, pulling the door open and pausing with Lydia still in his arms. "What do you know about the sheriff?"

"The sheriff?" Jordan tilted his head sideways but kept his composure. What did Scott mean? Had something bad happened to the sheriff? Did it have something to do with Scott's injury?

"Yeah, he was attacked." Scott answered and Jordan shook his head, implying that he had no real idea as to what was going on with his boss. For the time being, he had to focus on Lydia, he had to get her to the hospital, she was the one person that he had a chance of saving and he wasn't going to give up on her, not yet. "I think that's what the warning is for."

"You think he's dying?" Jordan quipped as he tucked Lydia inside the back of the vehicle. He maneuvered her limbs so that she looked somewhat comfortable strewn about across the seat and once he was sure she was safely laid out inside, he shut the door and stepped towards the driver's door. "Where is he?"

"At the hospital." Scott answered. "I need to get to him, I need to see him for myself."

"I can help." Jordan announced and felt slightly proud of himself for actually being able to aid in Scott's plan. "We can use Lydia as a distraction. I'll go in ahead of you and get as many people to help me with her as I can."

"Wouldn't you do that anyways?"

"Exactly, but you have to use the panic to your advantage. If everyone's focused on her, then they won't notice you sneaking off to wherever it is that you need to go." Jordan pointed out. "Get in, we can call Ryan in the car."

"Ryan? Does she know?" Scott inquired but pulled on the handle to the passenger seat as Jordan did the same on the opposite side of the vehicle. The two of them hopped inside and once both doors were securely shut, Jordan looked sideways at him. "Where is she?"

"She's at the hospital and no, I don't think she knows anything about the sheriff." Jordan confessed and his mind wandered to the woman he loved. He could recall their conversation perfectly, she had admitted that she was still at the hospital and that she had to clean up from whatever it was that she had been doing in order to try and help Hayden.

"Okay." Scott bowed his head but quickly turned and stole a glance at Lydia in the back seat. "Let's roll."

Jordan freed his phone from his pocket and looked at the screen before handing it over to Scott.

"Call her, let her know we're on the way." Jordan instructed and without needing any more prompting, Scott did exactly what he was told. Jordan started the vehicle and pulled out onto the road, praying that Ryan would be able to help him, even if it was just to calm him down and reassure him that everything would turn out okay.

No matter what, he still had her and he wasn't going to trade her for anything.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _And here we have the beginning of 5B, what did you guys think?_**


	70. Chapter 70

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary:_ _One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 _ **Chapter 70** **:**_

Being in no hurry to head home, seeing as Ken was looking after Kylie, Ryan ambled around the basement of the hospital trying her best to clean up the mess that trying to save Hayden had caused. She had tossed a text to Melissa but the response hadn't come fast enough and Ryan had been left by herself to dispose of the evidence.

It hadn't taken her quite as long as she had been expecting and when she had finally dubbed the room good to go for whatever it would be used for next, she made her way up to the main floor. As soon as she set foot anywhere near the emergency entrance, she knew that there was already a huge commotion going on and even though Scott had called her from the car with Jordan, she wasn't sure what she had been anticipating.

Seeing Lydia Marten limply dangling from Jordan's arms hadn't been the picture that she had in her head, nor was it anything that she would've even _considered_ yet that was exactly what she saw. Jordan was carrying the girl, who wasn't moving even though her eyes were wide open, and Ryan furrowed her eyebrows at the sight, yet Jordan kept rushing forward, calling out to anyone who might be able to help him.

"Help! Get someone to help me." Jordan yelled as he kept his movements quick, rushing through the doors nearby and further into the hospital. "Quick, I need help. I've got an eighteen-year-old female, potentially hypothermic."

Ryan stood back and simply watched as a small group of doctors and nurses met Jordan, wheeling a bed towards him. As soon as he was within reach, he laid Lydia down on the gurney and stepped back, his eyes trailing down the hall even further. When Ryan followed his gaze, she spotted Scott stepping onto the elevator, well she hadn't exactly noticed him before but if he was getting onto the elevator then where was he going?

What was Jordan planning, what was he involved in and more importantly, what the hell was going on?

The doctors and nurses rushed Lydia away from Jordan, leaving him standing all alone in the middle of the hallway, which is precisely when Ryan decided that it was time to go and see him. She hadn't laid her eyes on Jordan since he had come to take Hayden's body away and at that time, he had been wearing nothing more than a pair of ash-covered boxer briefs, yet here he stood in front of her fully dressed and his skin as clean as could be.

Where had he gone after he had left with Hayden's body and what had he done?

"Jordan?" She hollered for him and broke out into a slow jog. When he turned to face her, a relieved look crossed his face and he opened his arms, embracing her when she stepped into his awaiting hold. Burying her face into his shoulder, she sucked in a deep breath and let his scent flood her nostrils, relaxing her instantly.

"You're okay?" Jordan asked in a low tone and Ryan gave him the tiniest little nod of her head, not even bothering to pull away from him. "I'm sorry."

She tipped her head back and peered up at him, studying him for a few seconds, "for what?"

"Abandoning you to look for Lydia. I should've come to find you as soon as I knew what was going on." Jordan explained and Ryan blew out a breath.

She wasn't entirely sure what he was expecting her to say at that moment but she wasn't going to argue with him. Lydia Martin, in her eyes, wasn't someone that should've been his priority but then again, it wasn't like Ryan didn't care about the girl's well-being. She had vaguely caught sight of the state that the strawberry blonde was in when Jordan had brought her into the emergency department and that wasn't something that she would've wished on her worst enemy. No, Lydia, even as much as Ryan disliked her, didn't deserve whatever she had gotten.

"I'm fine." Ryan breathed the words out and shuddered as Jordan trailed his fingers down her arm, lacing them with hers as he gripped her hand. She didn't know if he was more concerned about her for his own peace of mind or if there was something else running through his head but she wasn't going to question him. She was simply going to accept the fact that he was right there with her at that very second, both of them unscathed.

"Are you really?"

"Yeah." She nodded her head and stole a look around the hallway, trying to locate any remaining hints of activity pertaining to Lydia's sudden arrival in Jordan's arms. "The last time I saw you though, you were practically naked."

"Honestly Ry, I don't even remember that."

"But how did you get so…so clean? And where did you get the clothes?" Ryan pressed and held her breath, hoping to god that he had some inkling as to what he had been through. Her thoughts drifted to the flicker in his eyes that she had witnessed upon kissing him, did he really not remember seeing her in the hospital's basement? Did he really not remember the kiss?

"Shower." He shrugged awkwardly and slipped his one arm away from her, grabbing her other hand instead. Their connected hands dangled between their bodies and Ryan lowered her eyes down to look at her feet, wondering what everything that had happened earlier meant.

Hayden was dead and her body had been taken away by Jordan. Had he taken her to the same place that he had taken the other bodies or was there more to it than a simple collection of cadavers on his part? What exactly was he doing with the bodies anyways? Was there just a pile of limbs lying somewhere in Beacon Hills that no one had managed to find yet or was he doing something _with_ them, like destroying them or burning them?

"I see you found Lydia." Ryan pointed out and reluctantly brought her eyes back up to meet his.

"I did but I don't really remember how." Jordan confessed and winced as Ryan pulled her right hand out of his grasp.

She lifted her hand up and ghosted her fingers along the side of his jaw, stopping them on his chin and tilting his head from side to side. He wasn't sure what she was doing but he figured that maybe she was looking for wounds or injuries to his face, no matter, he let Ryan take her time, checking him out. When she gave him a nod, he knew that she was done, yet her hand remained on his jaw.

"You went to Scott after you found her." Ryan stated, reiterating what Scott had told her over the phone while he had been on his way to the hospital. "Is that because you think this is something supernatural?"

"I'm not sure, I just thought if anyone knew anything, that it would be Scott."

"And not an ER doctor?" She questioned but she wasn't accusing him of anything, no she was genuinely curious. "Does Lydia have superhuman healing?"

Jordan shook his head no but stopped and locked his eyes with Ryan. She let her hand fall away from his face and waited for him to speak, "not that I know of anyways."

"Oh." Ryan pressed her lips together and let out a frustrated sigh. She had been having one of the worst nights of her life and the longer she spent inside the walls of the hospital, the more she found herself wanting to just go home and curl up in bed with the hopes that all of this was just one, big, long horrible nightmare. "I have to be here to work soon, what are your plans for right now?"

"Uh," Jordan surveyed the people around him as though he was searching for someone in particular. It didn't take Ryan all that much time to conclude that he was most likely looking for Scott, the same teenager that he had come in with, even if no one had really seen them together. But she knew, oh how she knew, that there was more to Lydia's condition than any doctor would be able to figure out.

"You're staying here aren't you? To help Scott?" She inquired with a shake of her head. "I can help too you know."

"I know." Jordan forced a sad smile onto his lips. "If you want to, but you don't have to stay."

Ryan shook her head in disbelief and sucked in a breath. She held it for a few seconds and blew it out, totally not liking herself for the decision that she was about to make.

"I'll stay." Ryan proclaimed and Jordan leaned in to kiss her, Ryan shifting her fingers so that they covered his mouth. "But _not_ because of Lydia, I'll stay to help Scott."

Jordan gave her a nod of understanding and an awkward moment of silence fell over them. Jordan reached his hand up and gently gripped her wrist, forcing her fingers away from his mouth. Her hand hung at her side and he leaned in closer to her one more time, making a final attempt to press his lips against hers.

When he finally kissed her, she felt the worries, the stress of the night melting away. Jordan was okay, he was alive and in one piece and he didn't seem to be any worse off for wear. She knew that there were more dangers lurking in the small town but for the time being, she'd focus on the things right in front of her.

It wasn't until Jordan's cell phone began vibrating in his pocket that they parted and when they did, Ryan crossed her arms over her chest and watched with an intent look as he fished the device free and hit the answer button, lifting the phone up to his ear. She knew who was on the other end, if he had been waiting for any sign of Scott earlier than this just confirmed what she had already guessed, Jordan and Scott were working together, they were in cahoots, and if Jordan was going to be helping Scott, then so was she.

"Where did you say you wanted to meet up?" Jordan quipped and Ryan narrowed her eyes in on Jordan, who lifted a finger up and signaled for Ryan to give him just another minute to talk to Scott and make sure that he had heard him right. "The morgue?"

"Come on." Ryan grumbled and latched her hand onto his wrist. "I know a shortcut."

Jordan listened to the phone for a few seconds longer and then pulled it away from the side of his head. He looked at the screen one last time, buried the cell back into his pocket and let Ryan lead him through the hospital hallways. She pushed open a door leading to the stairwell and side by side, the two of them headed downwards, stopping only when Ryan spotted the door marked 'basement'.

It was a few twists and turns later that they finally arrived outside of the morgue and that's when Ryan hesitated. Up until that second she had been gung ho about helping but now that things were happening, that things were becoming real, she was starting to second guess herself. Was this really what she wanted to be doing instead of heading home to clean herself up before her shift started? Was she really going to forfeit even the slightest amount of time with her daughter in order to help the small group of supernatural creatures?

If it meant that Beacon Hills would be that little bit safer for her and her family, then wasn't it worth it?

"I love you." Jordan murmured to her and she readjusted her grip on him so that she was holding his hand instead of his arm.

"I love you too." She sighed and pushed through the doors, stepping into the morgue and locking eyes with the one and only Melissa McCall.

She was standing at one end of the silver table in the middle of the room next to her very own son, Stiles was with them too and Ryan held her breath, hoping that this would go smoothly. She didn't need any more trouble, she didn't want to face any more dangers that day, she just wanted things to get back to normal, whatever that even meant anymore.

"You're all here for Lydia?" Ryan asked, moving closer and closer to the table. Jordan moved with her and when they were beside the silver slab, they took up a stance side by side.

"And my dad." Stiles threw in.

"The sheriff? How is he?" Ryan was genuinely interested in the man's wellbeing. He had been nothing but nice to her, and Cole back in the day, and it certainly sucked that he was in such a rough situation. The town needed him around, it needed him to protect them from all threats: supernatural and non-supernatural alike. "Right, never mind."

"You got a good look at Lydia though, right?" Jordan piped up, glancing between the two teenaged boys. "What do you think is wrong with her?"

"She's definitely not responsive." Stiles said in response. "Completely out of it, she barely looked like she was functioning at all, if her eyes hadn't have been opened then I…I don't know what I would've thought."

"You said something about hypothermic when you came in." Ryan pointed out, directing her words at Jordan.

"It could be a side effect of shock." Jordan tossed out, following Ryan's lead. He knew what she was trying to do, she was trying to help them figure out what was potentially wrong with Lydia, even though he knew she would've rather have been anywhere but with a group discussing the barely legal girl's problems.

"She's catatonic." Stiles countered, his tone suggesting that anything pertaining to hypothermia or shock, something so simple and human, was just absurd. "It was Theo digging his way through her mind."

"Why would he do that? What is he looking for?" Melissa broke in. Oh yes, Ryan was thankful that her friend was here, at least with Melissa, another human female with them, she felt like maybe she wasn't completely out of touch with what was going on. Sure Stiles was just a human too but he had many more experiences with the supernatural, he had known about it all for much longer than either woman had.

"The same thing he's always looking for: an advantage." Scott supplied.

"So what did he gain by trying to kill Stilinski?" Jordan tossed the question out and Ryan shook her head, trying to clear up the confusion. Theo, Theo had something to do with the fact that the sheriff was laid up in a hospital? Theo Raeken, the same Theo that had been trying to help Scott and his pack the last time that she had seen him? Boy had things shifted drastically without her even knowing it.

"It left me alone with Liam, Theo wanted to make sure no one would be there to stop him from killing me." Scott explained.

"Wait, what?" Ryan couldn't take it anymore, she couldn't stand back and simply absorb the information coming at her from all directions, no, she needed answers, she needed clarification and the only way she was going to get it was by speaking out. "Liam tried to kill you?"

"He didn't." Scott nodded.

"Yeah, obviously." Ryan narrowed her eyes in on Scott.

"Theo did though." Melissa threw in. "I brought Scott back, he was- he was dead when I reached him."

"What?" Ryan barked and felt the overwhelming confusion taking over. "What?!"

"I'm fine, it's fine." Scott lifted his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "We have bigger things to focus on right now."

"Like what the hell Theo's plan was." Jordan added and suddenly all eyes were on Stiles, who had cleared his throat. Ryan clamped her mouth shut and made a mental list of all the things that she didn't know or understand, there would always be time to ask later but for now she was going to keep her mouth shut and try to help these people with whatever it was they needed help with.

"Okay, so he gutted my dad as a distraction." Stiles continued where they had left off before she had opened her mouth.

"We need to find this kid." Jordan demanded calmly.

"Isn't that a little dangerous? Especially since he almost killed _my_ kid?" Melissa argued.

"Yeah, but he said he didn't want my dad to die." Stiles remarked.

"And you believe him?" Jordan accused, his eyes locking on Stiles. Ryan squeezed his hand and drew his attention away from Stiles yet she continued to look at the sheriff's son. Stiles didn't deserve this, he didn't deserve to have to fight for his father's life, but what other choice did he have?

"He told me where to find him, so, maybe he also knows how to save him." Stiles went on.

"What do you want to do? Talk to him?" Melissa quipped.

"If it saves my dad, then yeah." Stiles nodded his head. "What other options do we have?"

"We could…" Ryan spoke up and trailed off. "If you need to talk to Theo, if he's your only chance, then what do we have to lose?"

Jordan felt her hand loosen and fall away from his and when he looked down at where their hands had once been connected, he noticed that her fingers were shaking slightly. He didn't know what was going through her head but he had one good guess as to what, or more specifically _who_ , she was thinking about.

In times like these, it wasn't farfetched for him to gather that Ryan's mind was on Cole and all that he had done, all that he had suffered for, before being ripped out of her grasp. Was this her way of trying to save a life, to make up for the one that she had lost all those months ago? Did she feel like she owed it to the sheriff? Or maybe she owed it to Stiles so that he wouldn't have to go through what Kylie would constantly be reminded of; that she had lost her one and only father?

"Ryan." Jordan spoke softly and lifted his arm up, running his thumb gingerly over her neck. "This isn't on you."

"It's not, I know that, but I want to help. I want to do everything I can to keep the man alive, especially when he's the one keeping this town safe."

"Yeah." Stiles breathed the word out and gave her an appreciative nod. "I'm going to get going then, see what I can do."

"I'll come with you, Theo doesn't know that I'm alive, maybe that gives us an advantage." Scott threw in quickly, hoping to be the back-up that his human best friend might need.

"He'll know you're there, I just need to talk to him, not fight him." Stiles countered and made a move towards the morgue doors.

"Stiles," Melissa stated, her voice calm yet firm, and at the conclusion of his name, Stiles paused, turning to face her, "you can't go alone."

"Does anyone even know how to find him?" Jordan called out, his hand falling away from Ryan.

"We don't have to find him. He'll come to me." Stiles exclaimed and Ryan held her breath, watching closely as Stiles pushed through the doors, Scott rushing after him. She let the breath out and turned towards Jordan, meeting his eyes and forcing a sad smile onto her face.

"I don't like this." Jordan said softly and Ryan bowed her head.

"I know, do you trust them?" Ryan questioned.

"I do, but that doesn't mean I like this plan." Melissa interjected. "Sometimes we have to let them go and do their own thing."

"Exactly." Ryan agreed. "Come on Jordan, Melissa, let's get back to where we can help other people instead of hiding out down here with the stiffs."

Melissa didn't say a word in response, instead, she waved her hand at Ryan and led the way, the other two falling in step behind her. Boy was this turning into a long night and Ryan couldn't wait until she had a minute to herself, a minute to breathe.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

"I'm going to run home and have a quick shower, maybe even grab something for my lunch break, you coming?" Ryan asked Jordan as they hopped onto the elevator, which was currently stopped on the sheriff's floor.

Ryan had wanted to see the man in question before she headed home before work and Jordan had come with her, only to stick by her every step of the way. He wasn't going to leave her alone, not just yet, and with each passing second, he wondered when she would grow tired of having him attached to her hip. He knew that eventually he'd have to back off of her, but until she started her shift, he was going to do everything in his power to make sure that she was okay.

"Yeah, I'm coming." Jordan nodded his head in response and stepped closer to her as the doors dinged before sliding shut. Ryan let out a sigh and leaned against his side, his arm immediately banding around her waist, holding her flush against him. She let her eyes fall shut and waited patiently as the elevator traveled downwards.

Jordan remained silent too and they rode on the elevator together. When the doors opened, following yet another ding, she opened her eyes and looked out into the hallway in front of them. She felt Jordan tense next to her and she straightened up, stepping forward and tugging Jordan along with her.

"What?" She asked in a whisper, wondering why he had gone rigid as soon as the doors had opened. "What is it?"

"Lydia's mother." Jordan motioned his hands towards an older woman that Ryan recognized as the very person that Jordan claimed her to be. She remembered the woman from her run in after she had visited Lydia following her kanima wound, but that didn't explain why Jordan was having an issue with her at this point in time.

"Okay, so?" Ryan urged him to continue talking to her but it was no use, his eyes were locked on the woman a good fifteen feet in front of them. Ryan shook her head but moved along with him as they approached Ms. Martin, who was speaking to an older gentleman. "Jordan, leave her alone."

"Do you know who that is?" Jordan asked in a hushed whisper and then his voice rose back to its full strength, "Ms. Martin!"

"No I don't know who that is." Ryan grumbled and Jordan picked up his pace, leaving Ryan to lag behind. She rolled her eyes at him and followed his lead, trying to listen in to the conversation that Lydia's mother and the older man were having.

She heard him mention Ms. Martin signing something, then she heard him reassure the woman that he'd look after _her_ personally, but who that 'her' was, Ryan could only assume it was Lydia. But Lydia was in the hospital, why did she need to be looked after, unless this man was from somewhere else.

"Ms. Martin!" Jordan called out to her again and Ryan's jaw clenched. This wasn't their business, Jordan didn't need to be putting his nose where it didn't belong, but she wasn't going to argue her point, she was merely going to let him do whatever it was that he felt he needed to do.

"Jordan." Ryan whimpered but it was too late, Jordan was right there behind Ms. Martin. Before she had a chance to stop him, Jordan reached his hand out and set it gently on the older woman's bicep, drawing her attention towards him.

"Ms. Martin." Jordan pressed and watched as the older man wandered away calmly. "Ms. Martin, who was that? What were you signing?"

"Jordan." Ryan hissed and hesitated before moving closer to him, trying to diffuse the situation before it all blew up. Ms. Martin knew her, she would've remembered the threatening tone she had used when speaking about Lydia before, surely she wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere near Ryan and if Ryan was honest with herself, the feeling was mutual.

"She'll be safe there." Ms. Martin responded almost robotically but Jordan was undeterred. Ryan brushed off his concern and mentally noted where the man disappeared too, which way he turned when he reached the end of the hallway. She worked here for crying out loud, she had connections and if it would help Jordan to let go of the idea of Lydia somehow being his responsibility then she'd do what she had to do.

"What do you mean? What did you do?" Jordan pressed but Ryan stepped up towards him and slipped her arm through his, bringing his attention back to her for a split second before the two of them focused back on Ms. Martin.

"I did what I had to." Ms. Martin explained vaguely but Ryan gave a tug on his arm. Jordan gave in to her touch and let her lead him down the hall.

Ryan continued to walk, Jordan following along behind her and when she rounded the same corner that the older man had disappeared around seconds earlier, she locked her eyes on the back of his head. She paused and brought Jordan to a stop beside her, silently pointing right at the man in question.

"Who _is_ that?" Jordan asked in a whisper and Ryan offered a shrug. She looked around the hallway for signs of anyone that she knew and without hesitating, she wandered over and tapped the shoulder of one of the nurses that she frequently worked with.

The nurse looked a little older than Ryan and tired, most likely having been working for hours already but nonetheless she plastered a smile on her face, Ryan doing the same.

"Hey Ryan." The nurse nodded.

"Hi, hey, I didn't mean to bother you, but do you know who that guy is? The one that just came down this way?" Ryan got straight to the point, not bothering to dance around pleasantries. "Is he a specialist or something?"

"Uh, representative I think I overheard." The nurse replied.

"From where?" Jordan piped up, panic lacing his tone.

"Eichen." The nurse stated confidently and before Ryan knew what was happening, Jordan broke out of her hold and took off in a jog after the man that had just been speaking with Ms. Martin. Ryan threw a smile on her face as thanks and then followed Jordan, but she didn't break out into a jog, no, she simply walked through the halls calmly.

She didn't bother calling out to him, in fact, she had stopped watching for him all together and when she spotted Lydia Martin being brought around another corner on a stretcher, she paused, watching an orderly, one she didn't recognize, wheel her towards the ambulance bay. Looking around, she tried to find Jordan and after looking this way and that she realized that he had disappeared.

"For god's sake." Ryan groaned and remained a good ways back but fell in step behind the stretcher. When it reached the ambulance bay doors, she winced at the sounds of sirens blaring from just outside and low and behold, she also spotted Jordan standing off to the side of the hallway, just inside the hospital, with his hands on his hips.

He didn't look her way, he didn't pay her any attention, not until Ryan came up beside him and nudged him with her elbow. Jordan turned his focus to Ryan and forced an anxious smile onto his face but Ryan merely narrowed her eyes in on him. The two of them stood side by side watching as the orderly, as well as Ms. Martin, who had appeared shortly after she had first spotted Lydia, worked at getting the young strawberry blonde inside the back of an ambulance, whose doors were wide open, anticipating her arrival.

Once Ms. Martin was inside with her daughter, Ryan shoved Jordan forward and out through the doors so that they could get a better look. Jordan halted in his movements as the older man shot him a menacing look. Jordan looked past the man though and locked his eyes on Ms. Martin, waiting for her to turn and face him, when she did, he didn't even think twice about what he was going to say.

"I'm going to find a way to get her out of there. Even if I have to break through the walls." Jordan promised, Ryan biting back her own words.

The older man slammed the ambulance doors shut but Lydia's mother still looked at Jordan through the small, square window. Ryan stepped back, away from the emergency vehicle and turned her back to the scene still unfolding at the back of the ambulance.

"Good luck with that Deputy." The old man countered calmly and Ryan jerked her head around and looked at him, wondering what exactly he was doing with Lydia and why.

He meandered down along the side of the ambulance and climbed into the passenger seat, joining the orderly who had climbed into the driver's seat. Ryan reached out and grabbed Jordan's hand, pulling him back and away from the ambulance as the engine started up and it carefully pulled away. She let out a sigh of frustration and suddenly Jordan was facing her head on, a worried look on his face.

"You don't owe her anything." Ryan stated in a hushed tone. "You know that, right?"

Jordan didn't say anything in response. How could he inform Ryan that he did owe Lydia, he owed her more than she could ever imagine.

That was a secret that he'd just have to keep for himself and hope that it didn't come back to bite him.

"Let's go home." Ryan suggested and moved back through the doors and into the hospital. Jordan stole one last look at the retreating ambulance and quickly followed Ryan's lead. What else was there for him to do at that moment?

The answer, the one that would please Ryan, was nothing.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Thank you to those of you that are still reading this! Also thank you to those who've added it to the alert/favourites and to those of you who have reviewed!_**

 ** _I'd love to know what you guys think about the start to 5B_**


	71. Chapter 71

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary:_ _One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 _ **Chapter 71** **:**_

Ryan had been quick at the house and even though she had jumped in the shower with Jordan, neither one of them had the energy, or the desire, to do anything more than clean themselves off. When she had left home, she had walked out the door with Jordan sitting comfortably in the living room and seeing as she was back at work, she was already starting to feel tired.

Being pregnant was definitely starting to take its toll on her and she was going to have to start being more aware of how much she slept through the nights, lack of rest wasn't good for her or the baby. The other thing that was taking its toll on Ryan was not seeing Kylie as much as she would've liked.

It wasn't that she didn't trust her own father to look after Kylie, she did, with everything she had, but she knew that Kylie wasn't his responsibility and as many times as he'd offer to watch her, Ryan didn't want him to feel even the least bit obligated. She dreaded when the baby eventually showed up because then she'd have two little ones to keep an eye on and she figured that Ken wouldn't be up for chasing around double the trouble. Kylie was a big enough handful on her own.

"Ryan!" Melissa appeared in her line of sight as Ryan stepped into the hallway holding the lounge. She still had her bags on her arm but Melissa didn't seem to care, which was just fine with Ryan.

"Hi." Ryan let out a giant sigh and Melissa fell in step next to her, the two of them going into the staff lounge together.

Ryan peeled the bags off of her shoulder and stuffed them into her little cubby. Then she freed her arms from the jacket she had thrown on. Once she was free of her gear, she looked right at Melissa and caught sight of the worried expression etched on her pal's face.

"I'm glad you're back." Melissa said softly.

"I wish the feeling was mutual." Ryan tried to tease but her tone sounded simply pathetic. "How's everything?"

"The sheriff's not doing too good." Melissa confessed with a heavy hearted sigh. Ryan cocked her head to the side and studied her friend's posture. Her shoulders were slightly hunched and her head hung lower than it normally did. The poor woman was defeated, stuck between a rock and a hard place. She knew that there was more going on with the sheriff than anyone else was aware of but it wasn't like she could just announced to the doctors that the supernatural was involved.

If they didn't laugh in her face, then they'd surely consider calling the Eichen House representative back to the hospital to check Melissa out.

"Let's go see him then?" Ryan suggested and Melissa gave a quick nod of her head.

Ryan fell in step behind her and the two of them stepped back out into the hall, preparing for a busy, stress-filled shift. They headed for the elevator and when the doors dinged open, they stepped on with one other person who looked more like a visitor than a staff member. Not a word was shared between either of them and it wasn't until the doors opened again that Ryan made a move.

Striding forward with a false confidence, she headed for the direction of the sheriff's room but she paused briefly and let Melissa take over. Melissa knew more specifically where the man was being held, plus Ryan didn't want to just waltz in to see the sheriff, at least if Melissa did, she would be less likely to be questioned.

Dr. Geyer wandered out of the sheriff's room before the two girls could get there. Ryan took up a stance and remained next to Melissa, watching through the windows and taking a long look at the man lying motionless in the hospital bed. She hated seeing the sheriff in the state that he was in and she wanted to do more to help him but it was no use, there was nothing anyone could do for him except what was already being done.

Stiles had taken off to hunt down Theo with the hopes that he'd have some information on how to help the sheriff but that had been ages ago. Ryan didn't know what was going on with the man, nor did Melissa, and that was saying something considering they were two of the few that knew about the supernatural to start with.

But Dr. Geyer, he had no idea what they were dealing with, he had no idea that something other than a human had attacked the sheriff and it pained Ryan to know that the man was doing everything in his power to help the sheriff. It wasn't his fault he was failing miserably either, there were forces beyond his understanding at work, and it sucked that no one could help the man at that minute.

Dr. Geyer took a stance in front of the two females and locked his eyes on Melissa. Ryan continued to peer into the sheriff's room, wondering how much longer they'd all have to wait around and watch him suffer before someone, _anyone_ , managed to get an idea as to how to help.

"Sloane, good to see you back here." He remarked and Ryan gave him a nod of acknowledgement.

"You too." She said softly and nudged Melissa with her hip. "We just wanted to see how he was doing."

"Not so good." Dr. Geyer admitted and his gaze focused in on Melissa. "Now Melissa, let's cut to the chase, that man in there is dying and I don't know how to save him. I went to Harvard Med, I have degrees lining the wall of my office and I don't have the slightest clue what's going on here. If you know something about this that I don't-"

"Me?" Melissa cut the doctor off and Ryan finally tore her eyes off of the sheriff.

"Yes, you." Dr. Geyer countered right back. "Nothing seems to faze you. And not to sound accusatory, but it's like you know something."

Ryan remained silent next to her friend but when Dr. Geyer shot her a curious expression, she raised her hands in surrender and shook her head. She didn't know anything either, in fact, she knew even less than Melissa.

"Don't look at me." Ryan mumbled and dropped her gaze down towards her feet.

"Knowing something is different from understanding it." Melissa pointed out with a nod of her head and it was obvious to Ryan that she was trying to help as much as she could without giving too much away. "Yeah, I could tell you things, really bizarre things, but right now I can't tell you _anything_ that is going to save his life."

"Don't you think we would've told you something already if we could've?" Ryan supplied and Dr. Geyer tipped his head to the side, studying Ryan a little more in depth. She could see the gears turning in his head and found herself wondering if she had just lumped herself into the same category as Melissa, did he now believe that Ryan knew as much as Melissa, that she was aware of the 'bizarre' things that Melissa could tell him about?

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Dr. Geyer proposed, tossing the ball into their court. Ryan sucked in a breath and clamped her mouth shut, waiting to see if Melissa would answer first. She didn't have to wait too long because, true to her belief, Melissa spoke right back to the doctor, not taking anything he was saying personally. There were bigger things to worry about than hospital politics and whatnot.

"Keep him alive, for as long as we can." Melissa instructed.

Dr. Geyer gave them both a nod of his head and headed back into the sheriff's room. Ryan let out a sigh and leaned her head against Melissa's shoulders, wondering what the hell they were supposed to do next. She knew that Stiles was on the case, he was already trying to figure out how to save his father, but surely there was something that Melissa was supposed to do while he was off saving the day, right?

"What's next?" Ryan quipped.

"We go back to work until one of the boys tells us what's wrong."

Ryan shook her head and let Melissa step away from her, leaving Ryan to support her own head. She followed her lead and the two of them walked down the hall, Ryan reaching the elevator first and hitting the down button. The two of them waited side by side in silence and when the doors slid open, Ryan made a move to step into the enclosure.

"Hang on." Melissa lifted her finger up and Ryan shot her arm out, pressing her hand against the edge of the open doors. She watched intently as Melissa dug into the pocket on her uniform and when she produced a cell phone, which was vibrating loudly now that it was free from the material, Ryan knew exactly what they were waiting for.

"Stiles?" Ryan inquired and Melissa nodded her head before answering the call.

She lifted the device up to her ear while Ryan continued to hold the elevator doors. She didn't want to let them close just yet in case they had to head back downstairs but when Melissa waved her hand, motioning for Ryan to come forward, she let her hand fall away from the edge of the door and stepped back into the hall, moving to take up a stance in front of Melissa.

"What's he saying?" Ryan whispered and Melissa leaned her head closer to Ryan, pressing the back of the phone against Ryan's ear so that she could somewhat hear what Stiles was saying. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to focus on the teen's voice but she was too busy wondering what would happen if the sheriff waited any longer for treatment.

Was he going to hold up for too much more or would whatever was poisoning him hit a plateau and level off? She hated the idea of losing the man in the room down the hall, she hated the idea of losing anyone but he had protected the town from threats of all sorts for years. He had been good to Cole when he had still been alive, he was good to Jordan currently, he didn't deserve this.

"Broken…spike in hand looked broken…maybe like organic material…" Stiles voice faded in and out and Ryan sucked in a breath, trying to keep her composure. If the man's son could hold himself together as well as he was managing then certainly she could too. "…like bone or something…"

"Bone marrow." Melissa murmured. "Stiles, bone marrow?"

"I uh…yeah I guess."

"Okay, I'll get everything handled on this end. You hurry up and get back here." Melissa instructed and Ryan moved away from the phone. "Be safe Stiles."

Ryan just stared at her comrade and when she tucked her phone back into the pocket on her uniform, she shot Ryan a sad smile and pushed off the floor towards the sheriff's room. Dr. Geyer was still lingering around outside and when Ryan came up the rear, she watched as Melissa broke the silence that had befallen the entire hallway.

"Dr. Geyer! We have to open him up." Melissa called out towards the doctor as she ran right for him. Ryan came up behind her, ready to do whatever she could to help. She didn't want to see the sheriff dying, she didn't want to _watch_ him die, leaving Stiles without a father, and this was their chance to help him, to potentially save the man's life after everything that he had done for the town.

"What?" Dr. Geyer turned to face them and Ryan stopped just behind Melissa, letting the older woman take the reigns. She had more seniority, she had more support from the rest of the staff and Ryan didn't want to chance anything. If she had made the demand that Melissa had, she might not have gotten the same response and that wasn't something that Ryan wanted to face.

"There's something inside him, something that we didn't see." Melissa explained vaguely.

"Melissa, we can't just open him up." Dr. Geyer argued and Ryan scoffed at his words.

"Dr. Geyer, all due respect, but I think you should listen to her." Ryan backed up her comrade and Melissa shot her a quick, appreciative glance. "She knows what she's talking about."

"What do you think we missed then?" The doctor asked, looking to Melissa for an explanation.

"It's a piece of bone, he's being poisoned by bone marrow. I know it doesn't make any sense, I know what it sounds like, but you have to open him up. Do it now!" Melissa demanded.

Ryan stepped back and watched as the doctor and Melissa exploded into the sheriff's room to get him ready for surgery. She merely stayed against the wall, hoping that they had it handled, she still had a job to do and with Melissa already not on the emergency floor, she knew that it would definitely be getting chaotic down there. When Melissa appeared back out of the room, she looked around and her eyes landed on Ryan.

"Did you need me?" She stammered and Melissa caught the fear-filled look on her face. It was easy for anyone to see that she still wasn't comfortable with the supernatural and maybe the farther away from it she could get, the better off she'd bed.

"Go back downstairs, wait for Stiles and Scott to come back. As soon as you see them, send them up here." Melissa instructed and Ryan blew out a sigh of relief. That was an easy job, something she could handle and without putting it off for a second longer, Ryan took off for the stairs.

She would work off some of her nervous energy and hopefully calm herself down a little bit before getting back to the emergency department. With the fleeting thought of the sheriff getting better, Ryan hopped down the stairs and said a silent prayer for everyone involved.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

It wasn't like Ryan was relieved that she had been sent back down to the emergency floor but she knew that she wasn't going to have much to offer in terms of trying to help the sheriff. Melissa was much better suited to handling the supernatural, especially when someone's life was hanging in the balance.

Instead of lurking around on the floor that the sheriff was residing on, she made herself useful on the floor that she was supposed to be on. It wasn't as busy as she had been anticipating but then again, all of the action had happened earlier, what with the sheriff's arrival and then Jordan bringing Lydia in, she was thankful that she had missed most of that while on the clock. Dealing with Hayden had been enough for her and when the heart monitor had flat lined, Ryan had tried her best to keep herself composed.

Now that she was settling into a routine though, everything came right back at her, hitting her hard.

Hayden was a teenager, young, strong and brave, yet she had been ripped right out from under them without Ryan having even had a chance to really try and help her. Melissa would've done her best before she had called Ryan but that didn't mean that Ryan had given her very best. She had no idea what to do with a girl whose body was full of mercury, she had merely done whatever she could come up with, but it hadn't been enough.

Sucking in a breath, Ryan forced herself to think of her own daughter instead of the girl that she hadn't managed to save. No matter what happened around her, so long as she did her best to keep Kylie safe, then wasn't that what really mattered? She did her best with Hayden, her and Melissa both, and while their best hadn't been enough, it was all they had at the time. There was no easy access to medical equipment, or doctors even, and that had been a large enough hindrance to drive Ryan into a state of panic.

She wasn't ready to handle something like that, she wasn't a doctor, she didn't know as much as they did or how to handle certain things, but she had given Hayden her best. With a shake of her head, she focused as much of her attention on the task at hand and carried herself towards the front desk where she'd pick up another file.

Upon approaching the desk though, she spotted Melissa standing there flipping through the stack of files residing there. Before she knew what she was really doing, Ryan wandered around the desk and slipped her arms around Melissa, hugging her tight and basking in the warmth radiating off her body.

"Please tell me the sheriff's okay?" Ryan murmured and Melissa quickly hugged her in return, her hands running up and down Ryan's back in a gesture of comfort.

"He will be." Melissa whispered back in response. "They got the piece of bone out of him, he should be fine."

"Thank god." Ryan sighed and reluctantly peeled herself off of Melissa. She peered up into her comrade's eyes and sucked in an anxious breath. "This town has lost enough."

"I wholeheartedly agree." Melissa nodded her head in agreement. "We're not going to let that man die, we're not going to let that deputy of yours die either."

Ryan didn't use her voice to respond, instead, she gave Melissa a nod and lowered herself down into the nearby chair. Melissa ran her hand over Ryan's shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze before setting her hand on top of the pile of files belonging to the patients waiting to be seen. Ryan shook her head and tried to clear her mind but nothing would ever stop her from thinking about Kylie.

Her little girl meant everything to her, she'd do whatever she could to protect her, and if it had been Kylie on that table instead of Hayden, she would've grappled with death itself to keep her from being torn away from her, like Cole once had.

"I need a vacation." Ryan muttered, straightening up in her chair. She leaned forward, set her elbows on the desk and looked out into the hallway. "Like a permanent one."

"That's called retirement." Melissa teased. "And that won't be happening for about thirty to thirty-five years for you."

Ryan cracked a smile and stood up, taking a step forward to stand next to Melissa. She continued to look out over the desk, hoping and praying that there wouldn't be any more life or death situations happening to people that she knew. Then again, this was Beacon Hills she was thinking about, there was no way things would ever be that simple.

A silence fell over the two women and it wasn't until Scott wandered in through the main doors that Ryan even dared to make a sound. Melissa tossed her son a nod, letting him know without words that the sheriff had made it through surgery, they had gotten the foreign matter out of his body and he'd hopefully make a full recovery.

Ryan's eyes met another man's though, a man she recognized, and her eyes narrowed in on him. This was the same man that Jordan had brought in months ago, the man that had taken off to Mexico with her boyfriend mere hours after getting out of major surgery. Chris Argent met her eyes and he slowed down his pace as he approached the desk, coming to a stop across from the two females and throwing a soft smile onto his face.

Ryan forced a smile back at him and her hand traveled over the front of her scrubs, stopping over the place on her body where his puncture wound would've once been.

"I figured I'd see you here a lot sooner." Ryan remarked and tried to aim for a teasing smile but she knew it fell flat. There was no reason to smile just yet, not until she laid her eyes on her baby girl once she was done working. "I wondered how you were doing."

"Fine." Chris mused. "I'm stronger than I look."

"That may be, but last time I saw you, there was a hole right through your abdomen. If I had really wanted to, I could've looked right through you." Ryan remarked and a slight chuckle erupted from over her lips. "Honestly, I'm glad to see that you didn't collapse somewhere."

"Me too." Chris quipped.

Ryan let a silence fall over them and she stole a quick glance over at Melissa, who was smiling at the man in front of them. Ryan returned her attention to Chris Argent and she looked him up and down, giving him a fleeting once over. He seemed to be in relatively good health as far as she could see but that didn't mean that he was back to one hundred percent. A piece of rebar had pierced right through him, surely there would be lasting effects from an injury like that for years to come.

Then again, it wasn't like this man in front of her was new to the whole world of the supernatural. Jordan had explained to her, once upon a time, that Chris Argent was a hunter, born and bred to seek out the creatures lurking in the dark and prey on them, but only if they had broken the code. Things had gotten a little fuzzy though and there had been a time when the hunters didn't follow the code as strictly as they were supposed to but Ryan didn't want to think too much about that.

She didn't want to consider that there were people out there who could possibly be hunting down the man she loved. At the thought of Jordan crossing her mind, she wondered again about their baby. Would it be hunted at some point or would she be able to keep it safe just like she had done with Kylie thus far in her life?

"Do you think you have a few minutes to talk?" Ryan inquired and Chris gave her a tilt of his head. "We can just go down the hall a bit."

"I'll cover." Melissa threw in and gave Ryan another pat on the shoulder.

She stepped out from behind the desk and waved at Chris to follow her lead. Heading just a little ways away, and out of the range of too many prying eyes and ears, Ryan led the man down to a small jut in the wall where they wouldn't easily be seen. She crossed her arms over her chest and sucked in a nervous breath, finally feeling the tiniest bit intimidated by the man in front of her.

Unaware of what he was truly capable of, she didn't want to find herself on his bad side. She knew that he was a hunter of the supernatural but she also knew that he had once helped Jordan, and Jordan had helped him in turn. Did that mean that she could trust him or had the months that she hadn't seen him around meant that he had changed his tune when it came to her?

"You're a hunter." Ryan pointed out. She wasn't questioning him, she wasn't accusing him, she was just trying to understand.

"I'm not really the same hunter I used to be." Chris stated firmly.

"What do you mean by that?"

"We used to have a code 'we hunt those that hunt us' but after my family started…" he paused and she waited for him to search out the right words, "my daughter adopted a new code 'we protect those that cannot protect themselves'."

"Is that a code that you adopted too?" Ryan pressed.

"I did." He bowed his head. Ryan studied the man in front of her and wondered what sorts of horrors he had seen in all of his years as a hunter. How many people's lives had he taken, how much fear had he instilled into creatures that were just trying to survive? Her mind flashed to the wendigo that she had bared witness to while it was feeding on a deputy and she silently thanked the man for his work.

Sure there were supernatural creatures out there that meant no harm, like Jordan; but there were obviously creatures out there that would hurt anything and anyone that crossed their paths. Chris was a hunter, it was his job to take care of threats like that and Ryan was thankful for that much. He definitely made the town a little bit safer, even if he wasn't the same hunter that he had once been.

"You're not here to hunt down Jordan, are you?" Ryan questioned softly but took note that Chris cocked his head to the side, apparently he was confused as to why she thought he'd be hunting down good ole Deputy Parrish. "He keeps blacking out, he disappears and he doesn't know where he went or what he's done."

"That's definitely concerning." Chris stated. "But I only kill if I have a reason to. If he's done nothing of harm to anyone, then I won't hunt him."

"But what if he _is_ hurting people?" Ryan pressed.

"What are you saying?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen him do anything bad but what if he _is_ , what if he's hurting people and he doesn't even know it? Would you hunt him then?" Ryan's eyes widened in fear but Chris delicately shook his head no.

"Not unless I had proof and even then, I'd do everything that I could to help him before it got to the point where I'd have to consider putting him down." Chris explained. "He's one of the good guys, you've got yourself a good man."

"Yeah." She blew out a breath. "I know that."

"If you have any problems with him though, you can call me." Chris offered and produced a card from his pocket. He handed it over to her and she read over his name and then looked at the phone number typed up neatly along the bottom. It was a simple white card with black text, but it was so much more than just information to Ryan. "I owe him."

She took her bottom lip in between her teeth and shook her head, "I appreciate that."

"I'm not going to do anything to him, and even if I had to, I'd let you know. I'm not that person that just kills anymore."

"Okay." She murmured. "You know if you ever need anything from me, I'm willing to do whatever you might require."

Chris nodded his head in understanding and made a move to step away but he paused and looked right back at Ryan. She sucked in a breath and forced a smile onto her face, hoping that she didn't look as nervous as she felt while standing in front of a hunter of supernatural creatures.

"There's bigger things to worry about." Chris stated softly, his tone laced with warning. "Jordan Parrish isn't any of my concern, not at this point."

"You mean there's something worse coming?" Ryan took a step towards him and lowered her voice.

"I don't think it's coming, I think it's already here."

Chris moved away from her and headed back out towards the front desk leaving Ryan all alone in the hallway. She clutched the card in her hand, sucked in a breath and pushed forward, hoping that the rest of her shift would be relatively uneventful.

If what Chris said was true, and there was something worse already in Beacon Hills, then she was going to seize every moment of calm that she could.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Okay, so it's clear that Jordan needs to get his priorities straight but do you guys feel that he's at least trying to keep Ryan ahead of Lydia when it comes to importance?_**

 ** _Thank you a billion times over to everyone who's reading this story and an extra special thank you to those that have reviewed!_**

 ** _animelover78861: maybe an ultimatum will need to be made on Ryan's part...thanks so much for the review! And you're totally right, family always comes first_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: There's always trouble when it comes to Lydia...she just can't stay away from it_**


	72. Chapter 72

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary:_ _One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 _ **Chapter 72** **:**_

 _The sounds of giggling seemed to be fading in and out but Ryan wasn't worried. Kylie was known to laugh harder and then hardly make any noise at all. The part that freaked her out though was the fact that she had sworn she had heard Cole's voice._

 _Cole: her beloved husband, Kylie's biological father. Yes, hearing his voice in the house wasn't something she was accustomed too, especially since he had been gone, ripped from their lives, for over a year. So what did that mean and why did she swear that she had heard him talking?_

 _Ryan reached her hands out and pressed her fingers against the rough material of the walls. Okay, wait, that was weird, her walls were smooth and cool normally but these walls, they were course and hot. Where was she? And again, why was she hearing Cole's voice in the distance._

 _With a shake of her head, Ryan surged forward but she removed her hands from the wall, the heat growing so quickly and so hot that she had just managed to get away before her skin was singed. Wherever she was, it was only getting hotter with each passing second but Ryan was lucky, at least for the moment, she could only feel it when she touched her surroundings._

" _Daddy!" Kylie's loud voice was laced with excitement and Ryan heard her baby girl squealing not too far away. She looked ahead and noticed an oversized door that had appeared at the end of the heated hallway._

 _Ryan had a target to get to, she knew where she had to go and nothing was going to stop her from reaching her little girl, and Cole, she wanted to get to Cole. She had to see him, she had to know if he was real and if he was, she had way too many questions for him._

 _But maybe there was a reasonable explanation, maybe he was supernatural, just like Jordan, and maybe he hadn't really been dead all this time after all._

 _If that was the case though, then who had she buried? If it was Cole that had been put into the ground, then how had he gotten out? Did he simply claw his way out of the casket, had he dug his way to the surface, or was there a more logical explanation?_

 _She was there though, she had been at his funeral along with Kylie and her father. It had been sunny that day, she remembered because she had cursed the weather for not being more dull, dreary and rainy, which had been exactly how she felt. Cole was dead, he was gone, but that didn't explain why she could hear him._

" _Ky-pie, get the blue block." Cole instructed and Ryan sucked in a breath. Those were his words, said in his voice, but he was gone._

 _Ryan froze in the hallway and tipped her head back so that she was looking at the ceiling. He couldn't possibly be here, there was no way._

 _Anything seemed possible though, especially in Beacon Hills. There were werewolves running around, ninjas attacking people at their places of work and she recalled the one time where she had actually witnessed a teenager munching away on the organs of a dead deputy. If all that had been real, if that had all happened, then why_ _ **couldn't**_ _Cole be real?_

 _Ryan broke out into a run and faced forward, her eyes locked on the door at the end of the hallway. She kept moving closer and closer but it didn't seem to be getting any closer to her reach. With a frustrated huff, she slowed her running to a stop and leaned against the wall in defeat. She could feel the heat seeping into her body, the burning causing a pain where she touched the wall, but it didn't matter to her. She needed to breathe, she needed to take a break and try to figure out how the hell she was going to get to Cole and Kylie._

" _Daddy!" Kylie called out and Ryan straightened up but she didn't move away from the wall. The heat was almost soothing to her at this point but she knew that if she wanted to reach her family then she was going to have to give it another go._

 _Ryan sucked in a breath, shoved herself away from the wall and started heading in the direction of the door, but this time she stayed at a walking pace. Slowly but surely she was getting closer to the door and after she managed a good ten steps, she blew out a breath and paused in her movements. It felt warmer than it had seconds ago but was it getting hotter in the hallway? Was that possible? Or was this all a part of the game?_

" _Kylie!" Ryan screamed and forced herself to take another step forward. "Cole!?"_

" _Ryan?"_

 _Wait, no, that couldn't be right. Up until this point she had thought she was heading for Cole but the person that had called her name sounded an awful lot like Jordan. Was he the reason that it was getting hotter in the hallway? Did this have something to do with whatever supernatural creature he was?_

" _Jordan?" Ryan spun around but quickly made note that there was no one behind her. She locked her attention back onto the doorway at the end of the hall and shook her head, trying to gather her thoughts together. Whoever was calling her wasn't behind her, she knew that much for sure, but that thought just proved to throw her for a loop. Hadn't she heard Cole's voice from in front of her?_

 _She swore it was him and now that she thought about it, Jordan's voice didn't sound quite right, like it was farther away, echoing towards her._

" _Mommy come on!"_

 _Ryan blinked her eyes and took a step closer to the door. She could feel beads of sweat forming on her forehead and she knew for sure that the hallway was getting hotter now. Was it going to burn right up before she could get to the doorway? Would she be able to make it that far or would she be reduced to ash right where she stood?_

 _Without thinking about waiting around for another second, Ryan picked up the pace but still kept it at a walk as she tried to get to the door. The distance between her and it was gradually decreasing and when she managed to get within ten feet of it, she paused and glanced behind her._

" _Ryan!"_

 _She could see Jordan now but he was so far away and he was the opposite way of where she wanted to be. Was she supposed to give up on Kylie and Cole for him? Was she supposed to pass up the chance to get to Jordan in order to lay her eyes on the man that she had once buried?_

" _Jordan what's going on?" Ryan hollered and threw her arms out to the sides. Her palms came in contact with the walls and she immediately pulled them away at the searing heat. Okay, so the hallway was definitely getting hotter and she didn't know how much longer she'd be able to survive if she didn't make a move soon. Ryan took a step towards Jordan but just one and when she stopped, she reached out and felt for the walls again._

 _Huh, well that was weird, it felt significantly cooler than it had mere seconds ago. She took one more step towards Jordan, her hand running along the rough surface of the wall, and again, it felt cooler. In her head, if she went to Jordan then she'd be safe, she'd be cool and she'd make it to him without collapsing from heat stroke. On the other hand though, she wanted to get to Cole, she wanted to see Kylie, but the closer she got to the doorway, the hotter the hallway became._

 _This was a sick game, a game she no longer wanted to play. She didn't know what to choose. Jordan meant survival, he meant that she'd make it through this cruel trick that someone was playing on her. But Cole meant everything to her, and she missed him so much. Was is so wrong to think that maybe if she saw him, if she managed to lay her eyes on him and Kylie, that nearly burning to death would be worth it?_

 _Ryan took another small step towards Jordan and felt a soft, cool breeze rush across her face. She forced a smile at Jordan, who was standing at the opposite end of the hallway waiting for her, beckoning her forward. She stopped moving though and tried her luck at taking a step backwards. A blast of heat hit her in the back and she sucked in a breath, fearful that it'd get too hot to breathe if she moved any closer to Cole._

 _Desperation flooded her chest though and the thought of passing up the opportunity to see Cole one more time was too much for her. She wasn't going to pass it up, she wasn't going to let him get away, at the very least, she might get a chance to say goodbye this time._

 _Ryan broke out into a mad dash and she dove into the doorway, feeling a wave of fire blast over her, but once she landed on the hard ground inside the room with a thud, she felt the sweet relief from the heat. Casting a glimpse back, she spotted the blue flames burning around the doorframe but she was safe, at least for the time being. Sure she was aching from the impact, and her skin was throbbing in places where the heat had licked at her skin, but she was alive and her actions hadn't gone unrewarded._

 _For her brave jump she was rewarded with Kylie standing over her, beaming down at her and Ryan couldn't help but smile up at her little girl. When Cole stepped into her line of sight though, her heart stopped in her chest and her breath caught in her throat. He was here, he was right here in front of her and he looked every bit the same as he did the night that he had been ripped from her grasp._

 _Her eyes widened and when his hand reached down to her to offer her some help, she latched on with reckless abandon. If this was what she had walked through the fire for, then this was what she was going to hang on to. For the time being she had her family back, she had Cole within her grasp and Kylie watching on with a smile on her face. What more could Ryan have possibly asked for?_

 _Her hand gripped his and he quickly hauled her up off the floor, drawing her in against his chest and hugging her tight. She squeezed her eyes shut, pressed her nose into his chest and took a deep inhale, memorizing his scent as she did so. She felt Kylie slip her arms around their legs but she didn't dare move for fear that if she did, everything would end for her. All she wanted was Cole, she needed him, she loved him and she'd never let go of him._

" _I miss you." Ryan murmured and relaxed in his hold, her skin heating up from just his touch but so far it wasn't too hot, not like the hallway. "I miss you_ _ **so**_ _much."_

" _I know." Cole whispered back to her and she fought off the urge to cry. She didn't want to let the tears fall, she didn't want him to see her so sad, she just wanted to enjoy the moment for she didn't know if or when it would end. "I love you Ry."_

" _I love you too Cole." She countered and dared to open her eyes. He was still right there in front of her and she clung to him tighter, never wanting to let go. Kylie let out a whimper from the floor and before Ryan could object, Cole peeled himself away from her just long enough to scoop Kylie up into his arms._

" _Ryan!"_

 _Jordan's voice was faded and echoing into the room from the hallway but she didn't want to answer him, she didn't want to lose Cole._

" _He's good for you." Cole remarked with a soft smile, a smile she had longed to see for months after he had died, and he_ _ **had**_ _died, hadn't he? This couldn't be real, it had to be a dream, or a hallucination, but it felt so right._

" _Ryan!" Jordan screamed for her one more time and Ryan flinched in Cole's hold._

" _I don't want to lose you." Ryan confessed with a heavy sigh. "I just got you back."_

" _You'll always have me." Cole teased and smiled at her yet again. She couldn't help but feel breathless at the sight, boy had she missed him, more than she cared to admit. She was scared, terrified of the unknown and with Cole it had all worked out okay. Jordan was a different story, he was full of unknowns, shrouded by mystery, but wasn't he worth it?_

" _I don't want to let go." Ryan breathed the words out and Cole gave Kylie a tight hug, pressing a kiss against her head before setting her back down onto the ground. Ryan reached out and took Kylie's hand, waiting patiently for Cole to focus back on her. He watched his daughter for a few seconds longer and finally met Ryan's gaze. "Please don't make me give you up, I can't do that again."_

" _You're strong." Cole stated. "You're intelligent, you're brave. Ryan, you're amazing and Kylie's growing up perfectly. I will always love you, I will, but you and I both know that there's a damn fine deputy waiting for you outside."_

" _But I don't want to go through the fire." Ryan whimpered and felt Kylie's grip on her hand tighten._

" _You have to." Cole nodded and nudged her towards the door. "Everything will be alright, trust me."_

 _Ryan sucked in a breath and slipped her arm around him, burying her face into his chest again. She inhaled deeply and tried to get as much of his scent engrained into her brain as she could. When she pulled away, he leaned forward and his lips met hers but what she was expecting to be a warm kiss wasn't warm at all._

 _His lips were ice cold, his hands on her were freezing and her body began shivering under his touch. She shook her head, not wanting him to let go, not wanting him to leave her, but Cole just continued to smile at her, gently removing his hands from her. When he kissed her one more time, she felt a warm tear streak down her cheek._

" _I love you." Ryan pleaded and his hands trailed down her arms. He gave Kylie's head a gentle pat and ran his fingers through her hair. "Cole no."_

" _Be good for your mom, okay Ky-pie?" Cole was speaking to Kylie, who nodded at her dad with a big smile. "I love you too baby girl."_

" _I love you too daddy." Kylie beamed back up at him and Ryan held her breath, waiting for her goodbye to come._

" _Go Ryan." Cole commanded in a soft yet firm tone. "You'll be okay."_

" _Yeah?"_

" _Always." Cole bowed his head and when he met her eyes one last time, she forced a smile in his direction. "I love you Ryan, I love you both, with all of my heart."_

" _I love_ _ **you**_ _Cole, with all my heart."_

 _He nudged them both towards the door, gently ushering them towards the escape and once the two girls were standing just in front of the threshold, he gave Ryan's shoulder a gentle, reassuring squeeze. Before she could object, before she had a chance to change her mind, he pushed them forward, through the flames, but this time Ryan didn't feel the heat, she didn't feel anything at all._

 _When she made it into the hallway, she glanced back towards the room and spotted Cole standing in the doorway, flames licking at his body, nipping at his skin. He gave them both a slight tilt of his head before retreating back into the room, leaving the two girls standing in the hot hallway._

" _Ryan!"_

 _She shook her head and turned towards Jordan, watching his every move as he walked towards them. When he locked eyes with her, he broke out into a jog, desperate to get to them. Kylie opened her arms and Ryan felt herself crying at the thought of losing Cole again. She looked at Jordan though and knew that everything would be okay, he had saved her once, what was stopping him from doing it again?_

" _Come on mommy." Kylie squealed and when Jordan lifted her up, she waved at Ryan, drawing her towards them and back down the hallway. Ryan hesitantly followed them, stealing another glance at the room but all she could see now was darkness._

" _Cole." She whined and when a hand latched onto her wrist, she felt her entire body jerk away from the door._

Ryan's eyes popped open and she felt her chest heaving. When she lifted her hand upwards, running her finger along her cheek, she felt tears there. It had been a dream, an awful dream, and she was awake now, she had made it out of her own head without too much damage, except her heart throbbed.

She missed Cole, she would always miss Cole and having a dream like the one she had just experienced only served to make the pain worse instead of better. She loved Jordan too but she had lost so much when Cole had died and she hated the idea that she'd never, ever get to see him, talk to him, or touch him ever again.

"Jordan." She murmured and ran her hands over the covers, searching for the man in her life and not just in her dreams.

She felt around on the bed but no matter how far she reached, she didn't find him, she didn't nudge his body, he just wasn't there. Without thinking, Ryan reached back behind her and fumbled with the lamp. When the room lit up well enough so that she could see, she noticed that the bed beside her was empty and Jordan was gone.

Moving into a sitting position, she shoved the covers down to her knees and sucked in a breath. Where was Jordan? Why wasn't he right there next to her?

She had gone to bed with him, she recalled that part very clearly, but here she was all alone in bed with no sign of Jordan being anywhere near her. Huh, well, that was certainly weird but then again, she was involved with a man that blacked out and stole dead bodies, certainly there were weirder things that Ryan was used to.

"Where are you?" She mumbled and swung her legs out to the side. Her eyes immediately landed on Cole's high school football jersey that had been framed and mounted to the wall. Ryan sucked in a breath and paused, thinking back to her dream and how real it had all felt.

She had heard him laugh, she had heard his voice and when she laid her eyes on him, he had seemed so real. Hell, she could still feel his touch on her as if he had ghosted his fingertips down her sides. Shaking her head, Ryan sucked in a nervous breath and made her way to her feet. She pushed herself away from the bed and headed in the direction of the hallway, only this time as she approached the doorway, the temperature around her didn't change.

Her feet moved across the hallway floor and when she was within reach, she flipped the light on, providing her with a clear look to Kylie's room. Tiptoeing closer, Ryan poked her head into her daughter's room and listened to her little girl's even breathing, well that was good, at least Kylie hadn't been disturbed for the night.

"Love you Ky-pie." Ryan whispered to her daughter but surged on ahead, moving towards the stairs. The lights on the main floor were all off as far as she could see, but that didn't mean that Jordan hadn't gone down to the basement.

Descending the stairs carefully, Ryan made her way down to the main floor and when she stepped off the last remaining step, she headed in the direction of the front door. The dead bolt was flipped so that the door was unlocked and when Ryan got near enough to the door, she rested her forehead against the cool aluminum.

Jordan was gone, she knew by the sight of the door being unlocked, but that didn't mean he had left her voluntarily. She figured that he had been drawn away from her and when she laid eyes on him upon his return, he'd have no idea what the hell had even happened. With a heavy heart, and a loud sigh, Ryan retreated back to the stairs and walked about halfway up before her back began to ache.

She paused and lowered herself down so that she was sitting on the step, then she reached around and kneaded the flesh on her back, right over the spot where it was aching. What the hell was going on with her? This pain was new and Jordan wasn't here with her to reassure her that it was nothing. Ryan was a nurse, she knew enough about pregnancy pains to know that this wasn't exactly a good sign.

She didn't know that it was a bad sign either, not yet at least. She merely sat on the step and said a silent prayer for Jordan, for herself and Kylie, but most importantly for her baby.

Cole had said everything was going to be okay, she remembered that part of her dream clear as day but this wasn't a dream and Cole didn't know everything. Maybe he _was_ right, maybe the cramping sensation was nothing more than her body readjusting to the baby, but then again, maybe it was something so much bigger.

Ryan blew out a breath, dropped her head into her hands and sat on the stairs, afraid to move. She didn't want to feel the pain again, especially not now that she had managed to get rid of it. Was it luck, sheer coincidence or was it because she had sat down? She didn't know but she didn't want to chance a movement just yet. With her eyes locked on the front door, she hoped and prayed that Jordan would be home soon.

She sat there for seconds, minutes even and when she felt her eyes getting heavier with the desire to sleep, she cautiously made her way to her feet, careful of each and every movement. She didn't want to jar her body, she didn't want to bring the pain back to surface and once she was straightened up, she turned her attention to getting back up the stairs.

With every painstakingly slow movement, she sucked in a breath, blowing it out as she mounted a step, then another, and another. Reaching the final step, Ryan nodded her head and moved forward, hoping that the minor cramp had been nothing more than a fluke. She couldn't lose the baby, she couldn't lose anyone else and she'd fight for each and every person that she loved.

Glancing back at the still unlocked front door from the top of the stairs, Ryan shook her head and wondered what would happen when Jordan managed to find his way back home. She wasn't going to stay awake and find out, no, she was exhausted and bed was calling her name.

She wasn't about to turn down a comfy mattress and the potential for another dream about Cole, after all, it was the only place that she could see him again.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

 _ **Well uh oh...**_

 _ **Thoughts on what Ryan's dream means?**_


	73. Chapter 73

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary:_ _One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 _ **Chapter 73** **:**_

"Parrish!"

Jordan winced at the sound of his name coming off of Deputy Clark's lips. He didn't know what exactly she wanted but he figured it had a lot to do with what he had told her the night before on the phone. He had brushed her aside and had focused on Lydia, he had been so desperate to find her that he hadn't considered what she might've been dealing with.

Okay, so it wasn't like he had been all that helpful to her even before that phone call, but he knew that he was especially not helpful when he had called looking for Lydia, not when he had insisted that he needed to _find_ her and certainly not when he left the poor woman to handle things on her own without anyone else to help.

Yes, she had been left completely on her own the night that everything had gone awry but he didn't know that, not until he had gotten to the station for his shift. He knew that the sheriff had been attacked by a chimera and left for dead essentially but other than that Jordan had been too busy searching for Lydia to think about helping his fellow deputies. Even before that he had been too busy taking dead bodies to focus on his job, but now it was most likely all coming back to haunt him.

"Clark." Jordan turned just in time to face her as she approached his desk, which was exactly where he was sitting. He could tell by the look on her face that she was furious, frustrated beyond belief and he wondered if maybe he could let her in on the secret; that there were supernatural creatures running around wreaking havoc in their small town of Beacon Hills.

"I need to talk to you." She ground out and came to a quick stop next to his desk. Jordan tried to remain calm, he wanted her to see that he was holding his ground, but he knew that she had every right to be angry with him. He hadn't managed to help her at all the other night, in fact, when he had wandered into the station to start his shift, he had taken a look at the cell that he had barricaded himself in and twitched at the sight that was left there.

The bars were bent and jostled, parts of them looked like they had even been melted, which made sense to Jordan. He was a fire creature, he knew that much, and he was all too aware that he could handle being burned alive. Melted metal cell bars hadn't fizzed on him at all, but it had certainly thrown the rest of the deputies for a loop.

"What do you need to talk to me about?" Jordan asked casually and hoped that maybe he could distract her. If he could play the calm, cool and collected card, then maybe she'd back off, maybe she'd forget all about his frantic phone call that he had made in order to find Lydia, who was now locked away in Eichen House, and there was another thing that he put on his list to file away. If people found out about Lydia and how he had found her, not to mention the state she had been in, then that would just cause more trouble that he didn't have the capacity to deal with.

"There's something I need you to see, something from last night." Clark stated and Jordan watched her carefully as she leaned sideways, shoving her hand into her pocket. He continued to watch her as she fished out her own personal cell phone and when she finagled it in her hands so that the screen was directed at Jordan, he straightened up in his chair and locked his eyes on the picture.

It was still on the screen, waiting for her to hit the play button and when she did, Jordan kept looking at the moving picture. He watched it for a few seconds and nothing happened, then he kept watching, waiting for something to happen and when it finally did, he was not let down.

A giant, dog-like being came bursting out of the relay station entrance and whipped across the parking lot leaving Jordan in complete silence. He didn't dare tear his eyes away from the phone though and when Clark hit the button to replay it, he simply watched closer, waiting, anticipating, the creature's appearance in the video.

"Parrish, what the hell is _that_?" She hissed and Jordan lifted his hand up, signaling that he needed just a few more seconds of silence as he watched the movie through to the end. When the screen froze, he sucked in a breath and peeled his eyes off of her phone.

"Send that to me?" Jordan requested and when she cocked her head to the side, he added quickly, "please?"

"Fine but if you know what that is-"

"I have no idea." Jordan cut her off. Clark shook her head and let out a frustrated groan. She played with her phone for a second or two and when she looked up to meet his curious gaze, she narrowed her eyes in on him.

"I sent it to you and I'd appreciate it if you tell me anything you possibly find out about that _thing_." She stressed the last word and made a move to walk away but Jordan had questions that he wanted to ask her, questions that he wasn't entirely sure would make him seem like a good deputy or just plain crazy.

"Clark, hold up." Jordan gently gripped her forearm and she came to a stop, still leaning against his desk only she shifted slightly and lowered herself down so that she was slightly more eye level with him. "Why do you want to know what this thing is?"

"It attacked me and my sister last night." Clark answered in a low tone. "Thank god Hayden's okay or else I'd be out there trying to find this thing myself instead of enlisting your help."

"It attacked you _and_ your sister, at the relay station?" Jordan quipped, digging for more. "You were there that night?"

"I was. I was the first one to respond to the call. I saw that man, I saw him..." Clark trailed off and sucked in a breath. "He told me is was 'still here' and then he just…he died Parrish."

"But you're okay." Jordan pointed out, hoping that she'd see the bright side to the whole situation.

"I watched a man die." Clark mumbled.

"I'm sorry." Jordan nodded at her, hoping that she wouldn't give up talking to him. He knew how hard it was to watch someone die, he was fully aware of how awful it was to replay someone's last breath in your head and not being able to change the result.

"I had Hayden with me in the truck and I just…I remember seeing that thing inside after the man warned me and then I remember running out to warn her, I had to warn her…I know she shouldn't have been with me to start with but she had been missing for a few days and I didn't want her out of my sight. Apparently that didn't stop that _thing_ from trying to get us."

"Hayden's okay though?" Jordan pressed and immediately his mind drifted to the phone call he had with Ryan the night that he had found Lydia at the Nemeton. Hayden, yes she had mentioned a Hayden but was it the same Hayden, was the Hayden that Ryan had watched die the same Hayden that Clark was now claiming was alive?

Was that even possible? Was this some big joke, or was there a simple explanation, like the Haydens from each story were two different people.

"She's shaken up, like me, but she's fine for the most part. Thank god I got her back though, she claims she was with Liam but I'm not really sure I believe that."

"Liam." Jordan murmured the name but he wasn't quiet enough to avoid Clark's questioning gaze. "Like Scott McCall's friend Liam?"

Clark shook her head at him and let out a frustrated sigh, "I don't know, I mean, I guess they could be friends. It's not like I keep track of my sister's friend's friends."

"Right, sorry." Jordan gave her a sympathetic shake of his head and sucked in a breath. "Let me head over to the relay station, maybe a pair of fresh eyes can pick up on something that the other deputies might've missed."

"Yeah and maybe that _thing_ went back there and now it's waiting." Clark countered and rolled her eyes. "Good luck with that Parrish and if you _do_ happen to find anything, please let me know?"

Jordan forced a smile at her and she stepped away from his desk. When she was out of earshot, Jordan produced his own cell phone out of his pocket and spotted the new message icon in the top corner. He hit the button and pulled up the video that Deputy Clark had just sent him, then without hesitating, he played it through on his own phone, making sure that nothing funny had happened in the transfer.

He watched it a few more times and when he was certain that he had no idea what the hell this beast was, he shifted in his chair and picked up his work phone. He had one call to make and he hoped that Scott McCall had a minute to spare so that Jordan could talk to him about what he saw on the video.

If all went according to plan, he'd get Scott to meet him at the scene of the crime and let the werewolf take a stab at trying to find any new clues. Maybe his senses would pick up on something that a human being might've missed, maybe with his knowledge of the supernatural he'd be able to get a better grasp on what this creature wanted. Maybe Scott would know exactly what it was or at the very least have a friend that might know more about it.

Jordan could only hope that he wasn't going to be in this alone. He needed help, he needed back up and with the sheriff out of commission, it wasn't like he had a lot of options. Part of him wanted to tell Clark, to fill her in on what was really going on, but that would involve dragging her into the danger. He didn't want that, he didn't want her exposed to that until it was absolutely necessary.

She had someone to protect, just like he did, and if she wasn't aware of werewolves, kanimas, or whatever this beast happened to be, then maybe he'd be able to keep her safe, and, more importantly, alive.

With a mental note to talk to the sheriff about letting Clark in on the knowledge of the supernatural, Jordan picked up his phone and dialed Scott's number. Time was ticking away and the sooner Jordan got down to it, the faster he could solve the mystery of the beast from the relay station.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Scott, everything came back to Scott. It hinged on him, it was built up on his foundation of knowledge and if Parrish could help it, he'd use Scott any time that he could. He was the one person that Jordan trusted to help him, he was the one person that Jordan believed knew enough about the supernatural to do his best to solve the whole giant beast-like being mystery. He had managed to watch the video over and over again on the feed from the relay station but he had yet to show it to anyone within Scott's pack in the hopes that they'd be able to lead him in the right direction.

No matter how many times he rewound the video though, the picture never got any clearer, nor did the content inside of it. Something had left the relay station, something had run out of the opening but so far Jordan had absolutely no idea what it was. He had seen his fair share of supernatural creatures but this wasn't something he'd ever seen before. It was big, it was fast and it was scary, which is precisely why he had recruited Scott to help him try and figure out what the hell it was.

"I've played it twenty times or more, I still have no idea what I'm even looking at." Jordan stated as he wandered around the side of the deputy's cruiser. Scott moved closer to Jordan and took up a stance just in front of him while Jordan freed his phone from inside his pocket. "Maybe you can help."

"I can definitely try." Scott replied calmly. No matter what was going on, especially in the last few days, nothing seemed to faze Scott. He had been calm when Jordan had shown up with a catatonic Lydia, and he was calm now, even though Jordan was using every ounce of strength that he had to keep himself together. Beacon Hills was starting to become a huge mystery to him and he knew about the supernatural. He couldn't even begin to imagine how complicated things looked to an outsider, someone who didn't know that werewolves existed.

Jordan lifted up his cell phone and tilted it sideways, giving it a second so that the picture flipped its orientation. Holding the device between his two hands, Jordan scrolled through the icons and pulled up the video app, which is precisely where he had stored the footage from the night before. He hit the screen again and turned the phone towards Scott, finally playing the video for the young alpha werewolf to see with his very own eyes.

"This is from the relay station's security camera." Jordan stated and Scott took over the hold on the phone, the two of them peering down at the screen together, watching, waiting to see whatever it is that they needed to see. Jordan had watched it a few times already and he still had no idea what the hell the beast inside of the video was, all he knew for sure was that it was _huge_ , and dangerous, and fast.

The video played through and when the beast whipped across the screen, Jordan shook his head in disbelief yet again. No matter how many times he'd watch the picture moving, he'd still find himself amazed that something that big could move that _fast_. This monster was different, way different than anything Jordan had ever witnessed and he hoped and prayed that Scott knew what it was, and more importantly, how to stop it before it hurt any more people.

"That looked big." Scott remarked with an incredulous look on his face.

"And too fast for anyone to get a good look at it." Jordan tossed in, his eyes connected with Scott's for a brief second before he carried on. "But you already know what it is, don't you?"

He wanted Scott to know exactly what it was. He had no idea what the thing in the video was capable of, aside from attacking someone and leaving them to bleed out on the cold, hard concrete floor. It was a killing machine in his head, he just hoped that they could get to it before it hurt, or killed, anyone else.

"The last Chimera." Scott answered as he turned his head back to take a look at the opening to the relay station. The gate that would normally be across the entranceway was lying in the middle of the parking lot next to them, a good fifty feet away from where it was _supposed_ to be. The metal bars were bent, the fencing itself was mangled, and Jordan let a shudder course through him at the mere thought of something being strong enough to cause _that_ much damage to a barrier that was supposed to keep people out. The entryway itself was cordoned off, 'police line' tape stretched from one side of the opening to the other to keep anyone unauthorized out of the crime scene.

Jordan was authorized though; he was part of the local law enforcement and with that title came the privilege of being able to go inside to get a better look at the scene of the crime. With a wave of his hand, he led Scott towards the building and slowed down to a stop just outside of the cordoned off area. Scott handed him back his phone, Jordan tucking it back into his pocket and before entering, he freed his flashlight from his belt and flicked it on, illuminating the darkened entryway in front of them.

The two of them ducked under the tape and slowly made their way inside. It was still dark, even with the flashlight, and the daylight filtering in from outside, but it didn't matter. They had to delve deeper and deeper into the building in order to get to the bloodied crime scene.

Jordan continued to lead the boy and when he reached the stairs, he slowed down considerably, hesitating at the top step before cautiously putting his foot onto the next one below. One by one he made his way down the steep, narrow staircase, and it wasn't too long until he was on the sturdy concrete floor of the relay station. Scott was right next to him and Jordan turned towards the room that he knew the blood covered floor was located but it was easy to see by the scrunching of Scott's nose that he could already smell the stale, coppery scent.

Jordan led him deeper into the room, the two of them moving closer and closer to the actual scene of the crime. There was blood spilled all over the floor, staining the surface of the concrete and filling the room with a stale coppery smell. Jordan couldn't help but wonder how easily Scott could smell the scent of blood when Jordan was picking up on it himself and he didn't even have superhuman smelling power, at least not that he knew of. It had to have been potent in Scott's nostrils, bothering his nose way more than he'd ever let on.

Scott wandered closer to the streaks and splotches of blood, slowing down as he neared the scene. He rounded the end of the knocked over metal locker type cabinet and leaned down getting even closer to the blood lacing the floor. Jordan watched him carefully, wondering exactly what he was looking for.

"You still got a black light?" Scott asked, his hand reaching out towards the blood but stopping mere inches from actually touching it. Jordan quickly pulled out the black light that he had kept with him ever since the sheriff suggested the deputies have one, turned it on and handed it over to Scott, who then proceeded to flash the beam over the nasty streaks of blood. "Mercury means Chimera."

"But what was it doing here? Why come here and kill some random communications tech?" Jordan pressed, hoping that Scott had a theory on that too. This wasn't just a run of the muck murder, this was more of a slaughter and that thought alone rocked Jordan to the core.

Something as vicious and murderous as the creature seemed to be was certainly a danger to anyone and everyone in town. Ryan, Kylie, Ken were at the top of his list of people to warn but what exactly was he supposed to warn them _about_? He could tell Ryan that there was a giant beast on the loose and let her handle informing her father of the dangers lurking around each and every corner, or he could wait a little longer and see if he couldn't figure out more about what this _thing_ was.

"Maybe it just likes to kill." Scott offered up instead and Jordan furrowed his eyebrows. That wasn't what he wanted to hear, no, he wanted to hear something more like 'oh yes, I know exactly what it was doing and I also know exactly how to stop it' but that wasn't the way things ever worked in Beacon Hills. Instead, Scott threw out: "maybe it's what it does."

"That's terrifying." Jordan remarked and fought off the urge to shiver at the thought of something existing for the pure reason to kill. If all the beast wanted was to inflict pain and slaughter people to the point where they were barely recognizable, then what did that mean for anyone that crossed its path?

He looked around the room quickly and found himself wondering how they were going to deal with an oversized, fast-moving beast that liked nothing more than killing people. It was nearly impossible, the task in front of him was too big for one person, but it wasn't like he had anyone else at his disposal and even if Scott was willing to aid him, he was only a teenager, it wasn't really his job. The other deputies were out of the question, none of them knew anything more than the fact that weird things happened in Beacon Hills but even if he did manage to convince them, he wouldn't have wanted them put in harm's way.

Jordan's eyes fell back on Scott and the young alpha held his gaze, the gears turning in his head. What was Scott thinking about? Was he considering the possibility of taking on a giant, blood-thirsty killing machine or was he thinking of some other way to either trap it or kill it? Jordan's own thoughts were running wild, he couldn't decide if he wanted to help figure out how to defeat this thing or if he wanted to barricade himself, and his family, in their house until the whole ordeal was over.

But that wasn't who he was, he was a deputy, he had to protect the rest of the town and not just Ryan, Kylie and Ken. He owed the citizens of Beacon Hills and if he was the only one that was equipped to handle it, then he'd do his best and he'd go down swinging.

"Parrish, how many bodies do you actually see when you dream about the Nemeton?" Scott asked and Jordan tipped his head down, glancing at the side of the piece of metal with four long gashes in it. This thing was terrifying, it was horrific but what scared Jordan even more at that minute was the idea that maybe his nightmares had more to do with this beast than he had considered.

In his dreams he had seen hundreds of bodies littering the stump of the Nemeton but even with the failing chimeras it wasn't like that number even broke ten. If his nightmare meant anything, if it held any sort of importance, than wasn't it only fair to consider that maybe this new beast-like threat had something to do with it?

After all, he only carried the bodies to the Nemeton, he had never once harmed anyone too badly before they had died.

"Everyone." Jordan answered, fear lacing his tone. This was what it came down to, this was all on Jordan. Scott would do whatever he could to help out but Jordan knew that this was on him, this was his problem to face.

He was the one that was experiencing the nightmare, he was the one that had seen the bodies piled up and it wasn't like Scott wasn't trying to help him or understand.

"We've got problems." Scott remarked in a low tone and lifted his hands up, lacing his fingers and resting his palms against the top of his head. "Big problems."

"You're telling me." Jordan sighed and shook his head. If this was only the beginning of the bodies piling up against the Nemeton then they were definitely in trouble.

Jordan could only pray that his nightmare was nothing more than just a bad dream. He feared for his life, and those around him, if it wasn't.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

 ** _Poor Clark, poor Parrish, no one knows what to do  
_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: aw, I try to keep things as real as possible and I'm glad that you appreciate that :) thank you so much!_**

 ** _animelover78861: So many feels! I felt like I was going to cry just writing it, it's an emotional scene and I'm glad that it gave you so many feels. Hmm, Ryan being supernatural, that would be something else. Thank you for the lovely reviews_**


	74. Chapter 74

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary:_ _One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 _ **Chapter 74** **:**_

Ryan had become increasingly concerned ever since she had experienced the cramping sensation after waking up from her dream. She would've called it a nightmare except she had seen Cole, she had talked to him, and while she had to let him go in order to move on, it was a bittersweet surprise having him appear while she slept. The cramps though, they continued to bother her every so often and while she knew that it wasn't a good sign, every time she checked for spotting, she hadn't found anything just yet.

What exactly was she supposed to do anyways, it wasn't like there were tried and true methods that could hold off a miscarriage. In her head, whatever was going to happen _was_ going to happen and all she could do was try to manage the pain as best as she could with the hopes that if she remained calm, things would turn out okay.

She knew better than that though and when she had arrived at work, only to watch body after body being carted in through the main entrance, she shook her head and carried on towards the staff lounge. She didn't want to know about the gurneys just yet, she wanted to take a few minutes to pull herself together. What the hell was going on now?

Ryan surged into the staff lounge and dropped her butt onto the couch inside. She then peeled her jacket off and let out a frustrated sigh. She didn't want to deal with this, she didn't want to have to do anything too hard, she merely wanted to get in, do her work, and get out without any obstacles getting in her way. Was that too much to ask for?

At the sound of the lounge door opening, Ryan sat up straight and tried to pull herself together. She didn't want to have to face someone feeling the way she was feeling, she didn't want them to know that she was struggling with life in general at that minute, she just wanted a few more minutes of peace and quiet before her shift officially started, but when Melissa strode through the doorway, Ryan couldn't help but let out a soft sigh of relief.

She understood Ryan better than anyone, she knew about the supernatural and all the weird things that happened because of that knowledge. It wasn't like Melissa was keeping secrets from her anymore and for that, Ryan was grateful. She liked having the woman as a friend and co-worker, at least with Melissa around, Ryan felt a little bit safer because if something out of the ordinary happened, the two of them could double team it and hopefully come out on top.

"You okay?" Melissa questioned in a soft voice, closing the distance between her and Ryan, who was still sitting on the couch. Lowering herself down beside Ryan, Melissa crossed her arms over her chest and blew out a breath.

"I guess." Ryan shrugged and leaned against her pal. "I've been having cramps lately though."

"That's not good." Melissa shook her head. "Ry, you should probably consider taking time off and spending the rest of the day in bed, hell, call up that cute deputy of yours and see if he can't take a sick day too."

"I haven't said anything to him about it though." Ryan countered and let her eyes fall shut. She liked having Melissa there to lean on, literally and figuratively, but it wasn't like she could help Ryan any more than she could help herself. Melissa didn't have magic powers, she didn't have mad skills when it came to unborn babies and the potential for miscarriage, all she had was the ability to provide comfort and support when Ryan needed it, which wasn't a bad thing at all. "I don't really want to."

"That's your decision." Melissa tossed a smirk in Ryan's direction. "But I'm here to give you fair warning, it smells like absolute death out there and that's not going to go away any time soon."

"I can handle it." Ryan stated, confidence in her tone. Melissa gave her leg a gentle pat and peeled away from the younger nurse. When she was standing back up, Ryan tipped her head so that she could meet the woman's gaze. "Does it really smell that bad?"

"It does, but on the bright side, Deputy Sexy is here." Melissa beamed down at Ryan and Ryan furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Your deputy Ry, Parrish is here."

"Oh." She sucked in a breath but plastered what she was hoping as a convincing grin on her face. "You're supposed to only have eyes for the sheriff don't you know? How else am I supposed to hope and pray that you two will one day get together and have a torrid romantic affair?"

"Yeah, I don't think that's going to happen." Melissa chuckled.

Melissa reached her arm out and offered Ryan her hand, which she accepted willingly. Holding on to the older nurse's fingers, Ryan pulled herself upwards and stood in front of Melissa as the grip she had fell away. Without another word between them, Ryan gathered up her things and shoved them in the cubby across the room, then she moseyed on over and joined Melissa, who was standing just inside the door, waiting.

Ryan waved her hand forward implying Melissa lead the way and the older nurse did just that: she opened the door to the staff lounge, stepped through and waited in the hallway for Ryan to join her. Hesitating for a few seconds, Ryan took in a deep breath and finally joined her comrade in the hall. Side by side, the two of them wandered towards the front doors, watching closely as more gurneys continued to be brought in through the emergency department.

"Where'd they all come from?" Ryan quipped and Melissa watched the body nearest them go by before answering.

"Officially, they were called in anonymously."

"And unofficially?" Ryan pressed.

"Chris Argent found them in the tunnels, at least that's what I've heard." Melissa answered and continued walking down the hall. She followed the bodies until they went around the corner, at which point Ryan rushed forward, not wanting to be left alone without her friend.

When Ryan rounded the corner, she immediately locked her eyes on Jordan, who was standing at the end of the hall watching with a glum expression on his face as the bodies continued their journey through the hospital. She stopped in her tracks and lost sight of Melissa as she kept going, but the look of sheer sadness on Jordan's face bothered Ryan.

Did he believe that this was somehow related to him? Was this something to do with his deputy status? What the hell was going through his head?

When he broke his gaze on the convoy of dead bodies, he looked around and met Ryan's eyes. Without question, she broke out into a brisk walk and headed right for him. When she was within his reach, Jordan lifted his arm up and let her sidle up next to him, his hand resting on her shoulder and holding her in place. She relaxed against him and blew out a nervous breath.

"What's up?" She asked in a quiet voice, hoping that he'd tell her something that would help her understand without her having to be too pushy.

"This is my fault." Jordan murmured and Ryan tipped her head sideways, looking up at him with wide eyes. He managed to tear his focus off the bodies and looked right back down at her, catching the worried expression on her face. "My nightmare…it's coming true."

"Nightmare?" She echoed his word and scrunched up her nose in confusion. "What nightmare?"

"The one where I take the dead bodies and put them at the Nemeton." Jordan explained but he hadn't cleared up any of her confusion at all. "In it, there are hundreds of bodies Ry, _hundreds_."

"Okay…" She drawled and turned her attention out in front of her. "Well, how many is this?"

She waved her hand forwards, motioning towards the line of gurneys that were still being brought towards them. She was trying not to freak out at the thought that maybe his nightmare _was_ coming true and until she had some sort of proof, then what was the sense in overreacting? Jordan was a good man and even if he was taking bodies, it wasn't like she could fault him for that, after all, he hadn't even been aware that he was doing it until she had shown him the picture of him leaving the hospital.

"Twenty-three." Jordan answered solemnly and Ryan untangled herself from under his arm. She took his hand instead and laced her fingers between his before giving him a reassuring squeeze.

"This isn't because of you." Ryan said softly. "This is because we live in a town where supernatural creatures run loose. Whatever's going on, it's not your fault."

"I'm not so sure." Jordan shook his head despairingly. "What if I hurt someone, what if I hurt _you_?"

At the conclusion of his statement, she sucked in a breath and immediately let her mind wander to the potential danger to their baby. She hadn't suffered another cramp since she had left the house, but that didn't mean she was out of the woods. They happened few and far between but even the ones she experienced were too many for her liking. Was the danger their baby was in because of Jordan?

"I have faith that you won't." Ryan whispered. "And even if you _try_ , I'm not a china doll, I know where to hit a man so that he'll fall down."

She just barely spotted the hint of a smile that he produced, clearly remembering the time that she had full on kneed him where the sun don't shine. It was all in vain though because Jordan let out a huff and shook her hand off of his.

"I don't like this."

Ryan took her bottom lip in between her teeth and debated her next move. She could certainly continue to try and comfort him but she knew that it wouldn't change his mind. If he considered himself a threat to humanity, then a few loving words weren't going to make him think otherwise. She remained silent, and instead considered the consequences that could arise if she mentioned that she was experiencing cramps.

Jordan was apt to say something similar to what Melissa had said and she figured that she'd probably wind up back at home in bed. She didn't want that exactly, she wanted to feel useful, she wanted to be a contributing staff member at the hospital and more importantly, she wanted the money so that when- if- she made it to maternity leave, she'd have enough saved up to feel comfortable.

When Ryan peeked up at Jordan, she took note that his eyes were locked onto each and every dead body that passed him. He'd follow one until he couldn't see it anymore and then he'd look right at the next body. The nurses and porters, people she knew, were pushing them through the hallways and with each one that grazed past him, Ryan couldn't help but wonder if this really _was_ all his fault.

Looking away from Jordan, Ryan stole a glance in the opposite direction and locked her eyes on the sheriff. He was up and walking, albeit with a cane to help keep him stable, which was definitely a sight that Ryan was happy to see. He had clearly made a decent recovery and it seemed that the sheriff was back into the swing of things.

The man heading for Jordan and Ryan was apparently just thing that pulled him out of his own head, his own reverie and when Jordan didn't flinch, she wondered if he had even spotted him at all, even if it was just in his peripherals.

"Parrish." The sheriff said firmly but Jordan refused to look at his boss, instead, he kept his eyes trained on the bodies. Ryan gave him a nudge, encouraging him to look at the man in charge. "Parrish, look at me."

Jordan seemed to hesitate and Ryan debated what her next move would be if he didn't respond to the sheriff relatively quickly.

It was clear to her that Jordan didn't want the sheriff to know what he was thinking, he didn't want the sheriff to blame him, but what choice did he really have? It's not like he could ignore the man, who doubled as his boss, forever. Eventually Jordan would have to acknowledge his presence and with a rough nudge to his hip, Ryan made it blatantly obvious that she was on the sheriff's side at that particular moment.

"I know what you're thinking; the dream's coming true." The sheriff's voice was clam and reassuring to Jordan, who finally dared to even consider looking towards his boss, instead, he grabbed hold of Ryan's hand again and gave her knuckles a harsh squeeze. "It's not."

"Sheriff, there's twenty-three bodies." Jordan argued and finally he looked at the man who had approached them. Ryan merely held on to his hand right back and prayed that the two men would sort this whole thing out soon enough but she feared that the sheriff wouldn't understand his concerns, he wouldn't understand why he was so scared of his nightmare coming true. Hell, until a few minutes ago, she hadn't even been aware he was having nightmares about bodies and she slept next to him almost every single night. "Twenty-three of them."

"Which means you're going to go back to the station and you're going to go through every missing persons report for the past two weeks. That's what we do." The sheriff instructed, hoping against all odds that his deputy would pull himself together. Hell Jordan himself was starting to doubt everything around him, except for Ryan. He could feel her, he could see her, she was right there next to him and he didn't want to let her go. "You got it, Parrish?"

Jordan didn't trust his voice so with a firm nod of his head, he turned down the hallway and took off in a walk, tugging on Ryan's arm as he made his way for the exit. This was all too much for him, too much to handle, too much to deal with, all he wanted to do was figure out what was going on and fix it.

He wanted to help Ryan with Kylie, with the baby, hell, he wanted to be there for her throughout the rest of her pregnancy and he wanted to be able to feel comfortable being alone with Kylie once and for all. He was tired, exhausted even, of everything abnormal going on in his life, but what exactly was he supposed to do to fix it?

"Hey?" Ryan gently called out to him and Jordan came to a stop a few feet away from the exit. He turned to face her and she reluctantly freed her hand from his grasp. "Whatever you're thinking, just stop. This isn't your fault."

"I don't know that though." Jordan shook his head.

"Well, I don't know what to say to you. I love you, I trust you, you go do what you have to do." Ryan supplied. "I have to go work but if you need anything, just call the front desk."

"Ryan I-"

"I love you." She cut him off and lifted her hand up, pressing her palm against his chest, directly over his heart. "No matter what."

He opened his mouth to respond but there were no words that came to him. He remained silent and glanced down at her hand, watching intently as she moved it away from him. Without another word between them, she turned on her heel and headed back down the hall in the same direction that they had just come from. When she was no longer in his line of sight, Jordan let out a frustrated sigh and focused on the instructions that the sheriff had given him.

There wasn't much else he could do.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

The fact that Chris Argent was looking for Jordan had surprised him tenfold. It hadn't been that long ago that the two had crossed paths yet that didn't seem to bother Chris at all, who waltzed right into the station and took up a stance next to Jordan's desk. No one said a word to the man, no one seemed to pay him any attention, except for Jordan, who wasn't more than three feet away from him at this point in time.

Tearing his attention away from the screen in front of him, Jordan sucked in a nervous breath and shook his head. It was almost a welcome break considering he hadn't made much headway in terms of the twenty-three bodies that had been carted to the hospital, but at the same time, he knew that Chris Argent didn't just visit for the sake of visiting; he wasn't looking to keep up a friendship, which was just fine with Jordan. He was a man on a mission and if Jordan was in his crosshairs, then whatever was going to happen wasn't going to be something typical.

"Sir?" Jordan tilted back in his chair and looked up at Chris as the older man leaned against the edge of his desk. Crossing his arms over his chest, he waited for Chris to speak. He wasn't going to egg him on, he wasn't going to prompt him anymore than he already had. Whatever Chris was here for, he'd have to get to it on his own.

"You're aware that I'm the one who found the bodies, right?" Chris posed and Jordan held his stance. "Twenty-three of them if I'm not mistaken."

"You're not."

"That's a lot of bodies." Chris pointed out and raised an eyebrow at Jordan. "I heard that you're the one who was taking the dead chimeras to the Nemeton."

"That would be me." Jordan didn't flinch but he knew that Chris wasn't going to let him get the upper hand. He knew _something_ valuable, this wasn't just a visit in an attempt to get information out of him, no, not even close. Jordan could assume that Chris Argent was way more familiar with the supernatural than anyone that he knew, he just hoped that they were still on the same side.

"Well then deputy, I'm just here to inform you that you're on my radar." Chris stated bluntly, Jordan cocking his head to the side in confusion. His radar? What the hell was he talking about? And what exactly did this have to do with the twenty-three dead bodies that he had found? Chris had admitted that he was the one that had called them in, but even if Jordan was aware of being responsible for them, it wasn't like he could remember what had happened, or why they had ended up where they did.

But Chris had merely said that Jordan was on his radar. That meant that he was keeping an eye on him, he had done something of interest to catch the man's attention but surely just because he was a hunter, or former hunter, that didn't mean he was hunting Jordan, did it?

"I'm not sure I follow." Jordan said honestly and wondered silently if he was going to be going home to his dear girlfriend unharmed. He knew why types of weapons Chris had in his possession, he knew all about the guns and the Taser wands that would rival the power of a lightsabre. "You're going to have be a little more specific here."

"I have a theory regarding what you are." Chris baited and Jordan sat forward in his chair, uncrossing his arms and resting his palms on his thighs instead. He continued to peer up at the man in front of him but didn't dare say another word in case Chris distracted him with other sorts of information. "I know about your former partner lighting you on fire."

Jordan felt his chest tighten at the mere mentioning of Haigh. The night that he had been lit on fire still pained him when he thought about it. So many things could've happened to him, bad things, things that would've ripped him out of Ryan and Kylie's life without giving him a chance to say goodbye. He still didn't understand why he had managed to survive and until Chris had mentioned having a theory as to what he was, Jordan was clueless to his true capabilities.

"It's not really a secret." Jordan pointed out but there was something about the way Chris held himself, something in the way he spoke, that had Jordan hanging on to his every word. If Chris had even an inkling as to what sort of supernatural creature he was, then the man deserved a few minutes of Jordan's time. Maybe he held the clue that would solve the mystery, maybe he knew more than he was letting on.

"I'd like a chance to discuss my theory with you in a more private setting." Chris stated, Jordan nodding his head in understanding. "Can you meet me somewhere?"

"Of course." Jordan answered quickly and hesitantly rose up to his feet. He stood at his full height in front of Chris, who straightened up himself, pushing away from Jordan's desk. "Where?"

"This address." Chris pulled a small piece of paper out of the pocket on his jacket. He handed it over to Jordan, who took it without a second thought. "If I were you, I wouldn't wear the uniform."

Jordan narrowed his eyes in on Chris Argent but brushed his comment off without thinking too much about it. Not wearing his uniform was just fine with him, he was getting tired of buying new ones because he burned up the other ones.

"What time?" Jordan studied the address on the piece of paper and tried to picture where in Beacon Hills he was supposed to be heading too. It wasn't anywhere that he was terribly familiar with but he knew the area. Sure it wasn't the nicest, or the ritziest, but it certainly wasn't the slums.

"Seven." Chris nodded his head as he answered. He lifted his hand up, tapped the paper in Jordan's hold and brought his attention up so that they were eye to eye.

"Okay." Jordan breathed the word out and held his gaze for a few more seconds before Chris backed away from his desk. Jordan's eyes never left the older man's form as he maneuvered through the rest of the desks and disappeared into the front lobby, leaving Jordan standing at his desk with a piece of paper in his hand.

He committed the address to memory and tucked the paper into the pocket on his uniform pants. Without a second of hesitation, Jordan lowered himself back down into his chair and let out a sigh of relief. He had somewhere to go, somewhere to be later, and Chris hadn't mentioned not bringing Ryan, but that only got his mind reeling more.

Would she even want to go? Would she be in danger if she did?

If Chris promised that he had a theory as to what Jordan was, then didn't Ryan deserve to hear what it was?

Jordan shook his head in contemplation and nabbed his phone off the cradle on his desk. He dialed the familiar number of the hospital, moved the phone up to his ear and waited for the desk clerk to answer.

As soon as the woman on the other end picked up, Jordan announced who he was and asked, as politely as he could, if he could speak with Ryan Sloane. He was put on hold and once the soft classical hold music sounded out in his ear, he let his eyes fall shut and wondered what the hell he was doing.

On one hand he wanted Ryan to be there with him when he went to talk to Chris but on the other hand, he wanted Ryan to stay as far away from the hunter as possible. He had decided, at that moment, that he was going to ask her what she wanted to do and not push her no matter what her answer was.

"Hello?" Her voice pulled him back to attention and he opened his eyes, looking at the screen on his computer.

"Ry, hey."

"Jordan, is everything okay?" She asked and he felt bad at the sound of panic in her voice. He hadn't meant to freak her out, he hadn't wanted to worry her, but it was obvious that he had.

"It's fine." Jordan answered and he heard her let out a sigh of relief. "Chris just showed up at the station."

"What'd he want?" She questioned and lowered her voice.

"He said he had a theory regarding what I am, and then he gave me an address and told me to meet him there later."

"Are you going to go?" Ryan pressed but he could hear the hesitation in her tone. She was nervous for him, but Jordan had already made up his mind, he was going to go meet Chris, the only question in his mind was whether or not Ryan would be joining him.

"Yeah." Jordan breathed the word out. "I was calling to see if you wanted to go with me though."

"Uh?" She paused and he let her mull over her answer. After a few seconds passed, he felt his heart pick up in pace the tiniest little bit. He didn't want her to feel pressured, he wanted her to decide for herself and he wasn't going to say anything else to her until she spoke first. "I don't think…Jordan I'm pregnant remember?"

"I know." He fought off the urge to chuckle. It wasn't like he could possibly forget that fact, every time he thought about Kylie, he thought about being a father to his own child too. "Ry, you don't have to go."

"Here's the dilemma though, I want to but I don't want to."

"What are you leaning more towards?" Jordan finally let the chuckle out and immediately he felt better about calling her. "I won't be upset either way, I just thought I'd extend the invitation to you."

"I think I just want to go home and stay there." She answered firmly. "For the sake of the baby, I'd rather not put myself in situations that I'm not entirely sure of."

"I understand."

Ryan sucked in a breath on the other end of the line and Jordan let out a sigh. He felt relieved, almost like he would've rather had her not join him. The idea of her being anywhere near Chris Argent, who was a hunter- former hunter for all Jordan knew- didn't sit well with him. He wanted her safe, he wanted Kylie safe and he wanted their baby to be safe.

"I love you." She murmured and Jordan felt a smile tugging at his lips.

"I love you too. I didn't mean to bother you at work, I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

"Okay." He waited for a second and pulled his jumbled thoughts together. "I'll be coming home to change, so I'll see you before I go. If you happen to change your mind, you're always welcome to come with me."

"I know." She let out a sexy little laugh of her own. "I'll see you later okay?"

"Of course."

"Bye Jordan."

He didn't even get a chance to respond before she hung up. He put the phone back down on the cradle and leaned back in his chair. He still had a lot of work left to do before he took off for the night, and for whatever Chris had in store for him.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

 ** _I think I sort of really like Jordan and Chris working together, don't you guys?_**


	75. Chapter 75

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary:_ _One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 _ **Chapter 75** **:**_

The house was almost completely silent when Jordan wandered in at shortly before six. If it hadn't been for the faint cartoony voices coming out of the living room, he might've found himself more concerned with the lack of life within his house, but upon stepping into the living room, Jordan's eyes immediately fell on his two girls. Ryan and Kylie were curled up together on the couch, both of them sound asleep. Ryan was lying on her side, her front facing the television where some 3D animated movie was still playing along even though no one was watching it. Kylie was clutched against her chest, snuggled up in Ryan's grasp and at the mere sight of the two, Jordan couldn't help but smile.

These were his girls, his family and the people that he would protect with his life. He'd do anything for Ryan and Kylie, he'd do whatever he needed to keep them safe, he'd fight until his last breath to make sure they were okay, yes, these were the people that were worth more than himself in his eyes.

Jordan stepped into the living room farther being as quiet as he could manage and once he was about halfway to the couch, he looked at the television screen and studied the moving images on it. He recognized the movie, it was one of Kylie's favourites and he would easily admit it out loud too that he rather enjoyed 'Up' just as much as the little girl did. It was funny, it was good and Jordan liked watching it with his two girls.

The more he thought about _his two girls_ the more that he was grateful for finding them when he did. He could still remember the very first night that he had laid eyes on Ryan, she had been so nervous, so confident that she wasn't going to be interested in him, but he had broken down her walls, he had gotten to know her, had helped her out without really meaning to and even though she was obviously still hurting from the loss of Cole, he had never once felt put out by that.

Cole had been stolen from her, it wasn't like she had much of a chance to say goodbye and Jordan knew that if he hadn't died that night at the sheriff's station, then Ryan never would've given him the time of day. She was as loyal as they came and he could tell that she still loved Cole with all of her heart. Yet he didn't feel put out, or upset, at all by that fact. Jordan didn't know the man but he had heard all about him from a few different people and Cole sounded like the type of person that Jordan would've respected.

Ryan had been lucky to find Cole, she was lucky that he had been able to give her such a wonderful child and for that, Jordan was grateful that the man had once been such a staple in Ryan's life. There were a few pictures of Cole around the house, way more than there had been when Jordan had first gotten involved with her, and not even seeing the man's face on a daily basis bothered Jordan.

He was looking after Cole's family and he'd be damned if he didn't do one hell of a fine job.

Yes, Jordan felt like he owed it to the late Cole Sloane to make sure his family was taken care of for Cole had made sure they were taken care of before Jordan had shown up.

Sucking in a breath, Jordan crept closer to them, but now his goal was different, now he wanted to wake Ryan up but leave Kylie sleeping. It didn't matter that it was early in the evening, the two were clearly tired and he wasn't going to disturb Kylie's peaceful sleep unless he had to. Jordan was fully aware of how difficult Ryan had found sleeping to be as of late, and he wasn't about to ruin that for her.

If he could just wake her up long enough to get her into their bed, then he'd try and soothe her back into a state of restful sleep.

"Ryan?" He murmured to her and closed the distance between him and the couch. Jordan dropped down to a crouch in front of her face and he ran his fingers through her hair, trying to draw her out of dreamland by his touch. She squirmed the tiniest little bit but didn't wake up, which only prompted Jordan to run his hand through her hair again, but this time he followed it up with a soft kiss on her lips.

"Mmmm." She hummed and he moved back just in time to watch her eyes flutter open. "Cole."

"No Ry." He shook his head and didn't know whether to be amused by her mistake or saddened by the fact that she'd realize it was just him and that she'd never actually be woken up by Cole again. "It's Jordan."

"Jordan." She repeated his name back to him and blinked her eyes a few times in an attempt to clear away the fuzziness from sleep.

"Don't move too much okay, Kylie's still sleeping." Jordan whispered to her and Ryan froze completely as she gathered her bearings. She tipped her head downwards and easily spotted the top of Kylie's head before she noticed that her baby girl was curled into a ball against Ryan's chest. There was a blanket draped over the back of the couch that they could've used to keep warm if they had been anticipating a nap but Jordan knew that neither girl would've planned on sleeping. It was probably still light outside when they put the movie on and got comfortable against each other.

"What time is it?" She asked in a low tone, taking his words in stride. She didn't want to jar Kylie awake, not if her daughter was in a peaceful state of slumber. "Is it late?"

"It's just after six." Jordan answered with an amused smile. No, no it wasn't even close to being 'late' and to him, the fact that she was so disoriented and tired was rather comical. "Come on, let me take her up to bed, then I can tuck you in too and head out to meet Chris."

"Chris, right." She mumbled and studied Kylie's body lying on the couch against her front. She slowly peeled her arms away from her daughter and lifted them into the air, freeing the girl from her grasp. Jordan stood up but bent over and carefully scooped the slumbering tot into his arms.

Kylie didn't wake up as Jordan readjusted his hold on her, but she did curl towards his chest and let out a soft sigh as he moved her. She seemed to settle into his grasp without him disturbing her and once he was confident that the young girl wasn't going to wake up, he looked at Ryan with anticipation.

It was her turn to get up but he had his arms full, he couldn't help her. Ryan stretched her arms out and slowly made her way into a sitting position on the couch. She sucked in a breath and looked up at Jordan with a small smile, the sight of him holding her daughter so carefully, so gently, made her heart swoon. Jordan was amazing to her and Kylie and there wasn't anyone in the world that she would trade him for, except maybe to have Cole back.

She knew it wasn't fair to think that way but there were still days when she missed her late husband dearly and it saddened her to the core to know that Kylie would grow up barely being able to remember Cole at all. She was grateful for Jordan, she loved him without a doubt, but the fact of the matter was, she missed Cole constantly.

"So tired." Ryan mumbled again and made her way to her feet. She continued to stretch her arms into the air and when she was satisfied with the way her body felt, she lowered her arms back down to her side and took a step towards Jordan. Her eyes peered down at the peaceful look on Kylie's face and she felt truly happy for the first time in days. "Come on."

Ryan wandered towards the television and hit a few buttons along the bottom, effectively ending the movie and turning the thing off. She then took the lead and Jordan followed her out of the living room and out into the hallway to the stairs, where he mounted them right behind her. They were quiet as they moved, not wanting to make a sound in case Kylie woke up, and once the two of them were at the top, Ryan let out a soft sight of relief and stepped into Kylie's room ahead of him so that she could turn down the covers.

Jordan stepped up next to the bed and gingerly laid the little girl in the bed, watching closely as Ryan lifted the covers up and tucked her little girl in, not even bothering to change her out of the clothes that she had been wearing earlier. Ryan set the teddy bear that Jordan had gotten for Kylie on their first date with the three of them next to Kylie in case she reached out for it during the night, then she bent over and pressed a quick little kiss on the side of Kylie's head, murmuring a sweet goodnight as she did so.

Latching his hand onto hers, Jordan led her out of Kylie's room and into the hallway where she pulled the girl's door nearly all the way shut before the two of them walked side by side into their bedroom. Jordan didn't want to let go of her hand but when she grabbed one of his t-shirts off the top of the hamper, he reluctantly released his hold on her.

"You have to meet Chris at seven right?" Ryan questioned softly and Jordan nodded his head yes. "When were you planning on leaving here?"

"In about twenty minutes." Jordan answered.

"Do you have time to lay with me for a bit?" She pressed and Jordan's lips turned upwards into a smile. Of course he had time to lay with her, even if he had planned on leaving in the next thirty seconds, he'd _make_ time to lay with her.

"Yeah."

Without further prompting, she stripped off her shirt and tossed it at the hamper, then she reached back with one hand and undid the clasp on her bra. Before she peeled it away from her body though she slipped his t-shirt on and then proceeded to take her bra off underneath it, not even giving Jordan a glimpse at her breasts.

He continued to watch her as she pushed the waist of her pants down over her hips, letting the garment fall to the floor where she left it. She then lifted one leg at a time and freed her feet from her socks.

"Get into bed before I do something more than lay with you." Jordan teased and Ryan shot him a seductive look.

"If I don't do as I'm told, are you going to punish me?" She teased but pranced closer to the bed and climbed up onto it. Jordan followed her and pulled the top of the covers down, watching as Ryan slipped underneath them, then he followed her under the covers too, drawing her in against his chest. She let out a soft sigh and his hand ran up and down her back in a soothing motion.

"I'll punish you later if you really want." Jordan murmured and Ryan shook her head in amusement. "I hope I'm not out too late though."

"Me too."

"If anything goes wrong, I'll call you." Jordan stated.

"Hmmm." She hummed and let her eyes fall shut as she settled in against him. "Just come back to me, okay?"

Jordan tipped his head down and pressed a kiss against her hair, "I will."

"Good." She mumbled. "I love you."

"I love you too Ryan."

She didn't say another word in response, instead, she let out a soft, relaxed sigh and kept her eyes shut. Jordan watched her carefully and hoped that he'd make it back to her in one piece. He was just meeting Chris but lately, Jordan had come to anticipate things being way more complicated than he first believed.

He just wanted to come home to Ryan though, was that really too much to ask?

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

"What were you doing before you came to Beacon Hills?" Chris piped up, breaking the silence that had fallen over the three of them once Jordan had arrived and they had gotten the pleasantries out of the way.

It had been a little bit awkward when he had knocked on the door to the place at the address that Chris had given him and even walking up to the front of the building had Jordan on edge. He hated the idea that he had left Ryan and Kylie at home in their beds sleeping without him there. He knew that once this meeting was over, that he was going to head back home and end up waking Ryan up at the very least. He hoped that he could be quiet enough that Kylie would remain sound asleep but he wasn't figuring he'd be that lucky.

Hell, maybe they weren't actually sleeping soundly at all. When he had left, Kylie had been tucked in her bed and Ryan had been in the midst of getting comfortable in their bed, but that didn't mean that Ryan would be slumbering. She could be wide awake at this point in time, worrying about him even, and that thought alone weighed on his mind.

He didn't want Ryan to worry, he didn't want her to be stressed even the slightest little bit. She was pregnant, she deserved to be calm and relaxed and Jordan knew that he wasn't helping the situation. She was already a little nervous because they didn't know what _he_ was, which brought him back to the task at hand.

He wasn't entirely sure where he was, or what he was doing in the room with Chris and Gerard Argent, but if Chris had a theory on what he was, then he was going to find out. At least if he had a starting point then he could maybe gather enough information between him and Ryan for them both to feel a little better about him not being entirely human. Plus it wasn't like Chris had steered him wrong in the past, they were allies in Jordan's head, and even the few times that he had seen the hunter interacting with Ryan hadn't made him nervous. In his mind, Chris was a good guy, he was on the good side, and whatever he needed from Jordan at that very moment was something that was most likely warranted.

He was one of the only people within the town that _truly_ understood the supernatural. He knew how to take down werewolves, he knew what berserkers were, yes, if Jordan was creating a tactical team to take on the supernatural, he wanted Chris Argent to be part of it.

"I was part of an E-O-D team in Afghanistan. Explosive Ordinance Disposal. We handled I-E-D's." Jordan explained from his stance across the room from Chris, who was standing next to the man that Jordan knew to be his father. Gerard Argent was a very unpleasant looking man, which he had deduced from the very second he laid eyes on him, and the permanent look of evil etched on his face didn't sit well with Jordan, but they had sought him out, they wanted to talk to him, and if their conversation could help them all out, then maybe Jordan owed them that much.

Tucking his hands into his pockets, Jordan moved slowly across the room, getting closer to the two Argents. He wondered if Ryan was worried about him, he wondered if she knew who he was with and what their capabilities were. Hell, he wanted her to trust him but standing in the same room as Gerard gave Jordan an uneasy feeling, and it wasn't like Ryan didn't have every right to be a little bit worried about what he was up to when he wasn't with her.

"And what about before that?" Chris quipped calmly. This was an interrogation, Jordan knew that much, but he didn't know what the purpose was. Yes, it seemed that Chris wanted to know more about him, he wanted to know more about Chris but that didn't warrant a face to face conversation about his past.

"High school." Jordan answered quickly with a shrug of his shoulders. What exactly did Chris want from him, why was he asking all these questions?

Jordan caught sight of movement coming from Gerard's direction and instead of saying anything to the older Argent, he remained calm and silent, hoping that they were going to give him a hint as to what they were trying to do with him at that very second.

Producing a book from the briefcase that they had with them, Jordan merely watched as Gerard flipped it open to a specific page and then turned it to face him so that he could see the very picture that Gerard had been looking at seconds ago. Sketched on the aged and weathered page of the book, Jordan spotted a cynical looking canine-like animal standing over part of a body.

There were roots underneath the dog's large claws and Jordan narrowed his eyes, trying to decipher the meaning of the picture. What the hell was Gerard trying to show him, what did this mean to him?

"What's that supposed to be?" Jordan questioned and studied the picture for a split second longer, registering that the only sort of canine supernatural creature that he knew enough about was the very thing that Scott McCall had turned out to be. "Werewolf?"

"No, it's called a Hellhound." Gerard corrected him and by the confidence in his tone, Jordan wasn't about to argue with him. Jordan looked at the picture for a little while longer and then he turned his attention to the circular mirror on the corner of the desk. He looked entirely human but he knew better, if he was nothing more than a human being, then he wouldn't have been caught on more than one occasion stealing dead bodies. Normal people just didn't do that.

"What else do you remember from Afghanistan?" Chris pressed and Jordan tried to remember a time when he was overseas that seemed to be out of the ordinary.

It wasn't like there were a lot of memories to choose from, being in Afghanistan had been hell on earth and a lot of it blurred together for him. He could remember pain, suffering and lots of carnage, but nothing that he could remember seemed out of the ordinary for a solider serving overseas.

But wait, there was the time that he had gone to diffuse the bomb and it had exploded in his face. He had gone to cut the wire but the device had erupted in a flash of white hot heat and flame.

He had survived, he had made it out of the explosion in one piece, but thinking back on it, there was no way that he _should've_. When he had been wandering through the desert in nothing more than a burnt pair of pants and boots, well wasn't that something that counted as unusual?

"You said you came to Beacon Hills because you felt drawn here." Gerard broke into his thoughts and Jordan sucked in a breath, watching the older Argent as he produced a blow torch from the same briefcase as the book. What the hell was that for? What was he going to do with _that_? "You hid the bodies of the Chimeras.

"You've got a resistance to fire." Chris added and circled around behind him. Jordan's mind was locked on the bomb that he had been a part of in Afghanistan, but he also found himself thinking of the night that Haigh had strapped him to the steering wheel of his cruiser and lit him, and the car, on fire.

What the hell did it all mean?

Gerard lit the end of the blowtorch and Jordan found himself staring at the blue flame blasting out of the end of it. His eyes widened in fear and he was desperate to know what Gerard planned to do with it. His mind drifted to Ryan and he once again wondered if she was aware of what was going on, did she truly understand the entirety of the supernatural, did she have any idea as to what Jordan was?

"We were wondering, just how flame retardant are you, Deputy?" Gerard held the torch up and moved it slowly in front of his face. Jordan made a move to get away from the flame but he felt Chris nab him from behind.

Chris locked his arms through Jordan's, pinning his behind his back and Jordan's heart picked up in pace. He didn't understand, he didn't know what they were doing to him. Was this how he was going to die? Was his death going to come at the hands of the one man that Jordan had believed knew how to help them more than Scott did?

"What the hell are you doing?" Jordan protested and Chris' grip on him promptly tightened. "I have a family! I have-"

Gerard's hand locked on his jaw, cutting him off from saying another word. Jordan stared at the older man in front of him, the flame ever so close to his face, but what the hell was he going to do? It wasn't like he hadn't survived being lit on fire once before, but this man in front of him was a hunter, would he have some sort of special flame that _could_ potentially end his life?

Jordan panted and tried to get out of Chris' hold but it was no use. Gerard moved the tip of the blue flame closer and closer to his face and when it was mere inches from his left eye, Jordan felt something inside of him snap.

He let out a feral growl, spread his arms with every ounce of power that he had and felt his teeth protruding as they turned in to none other than fangs. When he had successfully freed himself from Chris' grasp and set his sights on Gerard, he sucked in a breath and watched as the older Argent backed away from him.

Jordan, realizing that the threat was far enough away from him, started breathing deeply in an attempt to calm himself down, but as he did so, he caught a glimpse of himself in the same circular mirror that he had not more than a few minutes before. His irises were glowing a burnt orange colour and he had razor sharp teeth protruding from both the top and bottom jaw.

He continued to look in the mirror, watching as his teeth retracted to normal and his eyes slowly went back to their usual colour. He continued to breathe deeply, hoping and praying that the two Argents with him weren't going to try anything else like that again.

"Hellhound." Jordan stated and turned his attention to Chris, who nodded his head in agreement. Jordan then set his sights on Gerard, feeling the anger rise back up to the surface. "And what if you were wrong!? Would you have burned my eye out?"

Gerard didn't even skip a beat as he answered with a nonchalant, "yeah."

"This guy's your father?" Jordan stole a quick glance back at Chris.

"Wasn't my choice." Chris offered up with a slight shrug.

Jordan shook his head in disbelief and sucked in a breath. Hellhound, he was a hellhound, so what exactly did that mean for him, or for Ryan?

He knew _what_ he was, but he didn't know what his powers were, if he had any. Aside from surviving being lit on fire, and making it out of the basement of the creepy house barely alive (although that attack would've killed anyone else), he didn't know what to expect. He didn't have control over himself, he didn't even know what he had been doing up until recently and until Gerard had held the blowtorch to his eye, he hadn't been aware that he could shift.

Oh yes, seeing the canine-esque teeth in his mouth and the glowing orange irises within his eyes had been a severe wakeup call. He didn't want to hurt anyone, but he especially didn't want to hurt Ryan or Kylie, or the baby. God forbid he inadvertently harm his unborn child.

"What's the matter deputy?" Gerard spoke calmly, pulling Jordan out of his own head. He shook off the horrific thoughts of harm coming to his family because of what he was and tried to focus on the positive that had come out of this whole, fear instilling situation. He knew what he was, that was definitely a good thing, and now he had somewhere to start with Ryan.

They could figure this out together, him and her, without Lydia hanging around him. Yes, everything was easy now, at least Jordan was hoping that it was easy. Ryan was rather adept at googling things and finding out facts from her google sessions, maybe she could piece together some information about hellhounds for him that might help them both understand things more.

"Hellhound." Jordan murmured and Chris gave him an encouraging nod. Jordan swallowed the nervous lump that was forming in his throat at the next terrifying thought that crossed his mind. "You're not going to kill me now, are you?"

"That depends." Chris answered, his tone stone cold serious. "You're not going to do anything that _warrants_ me killing you now are you?"

Jordan didn't bother speaking, he merely shook his head no and hoped that he could keep himself under control. He hadn't managed to so far, but maybe, just maybe, knowing what he was would make it easier for him to figure things out.

Jordan was banking on it.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

 ** _So, what did you guys think?_**


	76. Chapter 76

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary:_ _One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 _ **Chapter 76** **:**_

"He's a hellhound." Ryan whispered as she fell in step next to Melissa during her shift the following day. The night before, when Jordan had left her in bed sleeping while he went off to _visit_ with Chris Argent, hadn't been so bad, no, Jordan had come home to her in one piece.

Even after he explained to her what they had tried to do and what they had done with the small blowtorch, she had accepted that maybe Chris Argent, and his father, weren't necessarily bad people. Sure their methods were questionable but they hadn't harmed Jordan. A blowtorch to the eye might've been cause for concern for any normal person but once she heard that he had shifted and then found out that he was, in fact, a hellhound, everything had been pushed to the back of her mind.

They had an answer, they _knew_ what he was: a hellhound. Jordan Parrish was a hellhound, and as much as Ryan didn't know about what that truly entailed, it didn't matter because they could put a name to what he was.

There would be no more nights spend wondering what sort of powers he had, or what things he was capable of, if they could just get some more details out of the Argents, then Jordan and Ryan could handle their relationship.

She had been on Google for a little while before arriving at the hospital to begin her shift and she had learned a little bit about hellhounds, but she knew that her researching had only begun. There were way too many sites out there that weren't reliable, but she couldn't blame the people posting such things, it wasn't like there were a lot of people that believed hellhounds were even real.

"Your sexy deputy is a hellhound?" Melissa quipped in response and Ryan gave her a slight nod of her head, hoping that no one would overhear their conversation. "For sure?"

"According to Chris Argent anyways, why wouldn't I believe him, he knows more about this stuff than anyone else I know." Ryan offered with a shrug as the two of them headed for the front desk, both of them ready to seek out their next patient file. Ryan slowed her pace and fell just slightly behind Melissa as she stole a look out towards the front doors, where the sun was just starting to set in the sky.

Her shift was nearly over but Ryan wasn't sure if she had to stay and work a little bit of overtime just yet. Her theory was that if she was going to be going on maternity leave in a few months, then she'd work as hard as she could to gain a little extra cash in case things didn't go as smoothly as she would've liked. What was to say that Ryan wouldn't have to take off extra time so that her baby, who had the potential to be supernatural, wouldn't be put in any situations where the person looking after it might get hurt?

"I guess I'd believe him too." Melissa shook her head and came to a stop in front of the front desk. She looked down at the woman sitting behind the desk but she wasn't paying any attention to Ryan or Melissa, no, her eyes were glued to the front doors of the emergency department.

Well Ryan had just looked that way and she hadn't seen anything troubling, but when she looked back out the front doors, she cocked her head sideways and nudged Melissa in the arm. There was something lingering outside, something that looked _huge_.

Melissa looped her arm through Ryan's and together, the two of them took a few steps closer to the front doors, motioning for anyone in the hallway to stay back while they took a look at the mysteriously large figure outside of the hospital.

They didn't get a chance to get too much closer though because the thing outside crashed through the doors of the hospital and ran right for them. A giant, beast-like monster charged right for the two and Melissa backed out of the way, pushing Ryan along with her, just in time to avoid being knocked over by the monster.

People within the hallway were letting out screams and cries and the woman behind the desk had the phone up to her ear, frantically dialling 9-1-1. Gripping Melissa's hand as tight as she could, Ryan moved across the hallway and tried to get the people who had been waiting to see a doctor, to calm down.

"You guys should go." Melissa announced before anyone had a chance to argue. A few people were quick to get to their feet and they took off without a second glance back at the hallway where the beast had disappeared too. Some of the people waiting didn't move though and Ryan remembered how she felt the first time something weird had happened at the hospital; she had locked herself in a closet and had remained there, frozen with fear, until Jordan had found her and freed her.

"If I were you, I'd run." Ryan added in, trying to sound calm. She didn't know what was keeping them in the hospital other than fear, but whatever hadn't made them leave when Melissa spoke had seemed to disappear after she had spoken. The remaining patients took off in a run and headed right out the front door, disappearing from Ryan's sight. "Do we need an official order to evacuate or can we just do it?"

"Start going around to the rooms, tell everyone to get out, you take the left side of the hall, I'll take the right and we can meet back at the front desk when we're done." Melissa instructed and Ryan was quick to act. She knew that this wasn't Melissa's first rodeo involving an attack on the hospital, nor was it hers, but she hadn't known what to do the last time. This was a whole new ballgame, something weird was happening and she wasn't totally out of the loop.

She still had no idea what the black beast-like monster had been but she knew enough to realize that it wasn't good. Something bad was going to happen and if the hospital staff didn't start getting people out at that minute, it was likely that people were going to die, and she certainly didn't want to be one of them.

Without hesitating for a second, Ryan took off and started working her way down the left side of the hallway. She poked her head into every room and if there was someone inside, whether it was a patient, a staff, or both, she explained to them as calmly as she could that they were evacuating the hospital. She heard Melissa's loud, commanding voice tell someone that they were in the middle of a code white, and Ryan knew exactly what that meant. They were going to evacuate the entire hospital.

Swiftly moving from room to room and enlisting any staff member that would help to do so, she managed to clear the rooms on her side of the hallway in mere minutes. As she headed back to the front desk, she took note that Melissa was also on her way back and when the two of them arrived, they stepped around the back of the desk.

"Go." Ryan commanded to the lady behind the desk and she didn't think twice about arguing back, no, she stood up from her chair and broke out into a run, disappearing out the front doors and leaving the two nurses alone behind the desk. "Can you get on the P.A.?"

Melissa made a move to grab the microphone sitting on the desk and she hit the button on the base of it. A blast of feedback sounded out in the hallways but no one stopped, no one hesitated. Ryan watched as the large group of people continued to make their way outside, other patients and staff from the floors above filtered out through the emergency department too, and when the line seemed to be getting thinner, she leaned over the edge of the desk but froze at the sight of the phone light blinking.

"Again, this is a Code White, a full hospital evacuation. All critical patients will be taken by ambulance to Hill Valley." Melissa said firmly and clearly into the P.A. system. Ryan debated whether or not to answer the phone but as the line died down to nearly no one, she figured that it was best to just get the hell out of there with the rest of the people.

She'd stick with Melissa, at least if there was two of them they'd stand a better chance, and if something happened to either one of them, then the other would be able to relay that information to either Jordan or Scott. Ryan didn't wan to have to do that though, she didn't want to have to explain to anyone that Melissa had been harmed, and she knew that Melissa didn't want to have to do that either.

They'd just have to stick together and not let the monster get near them.

The floor seemed to shake with some sort of impact from above them and Ryan moved closer to Melissa, not wanting to get too far away from the older woman.

"What the hell?" Ryan hissed and looked up at the ceiling just in time to witness the lights flicker. They flickered once more before dying completely and suddenly Melissa's hands were wrapped around her arm, holding her close to her too; apparently she had the same idea, they were buddies now, partners in crime, and they weren't going to split up any time soon.

"Come on." Melissa murmured and the screaming of the people seemed to end seconds later. There were no more frantic patients, no more panicking doctors or nurses, all that was left was an empty hallway, which meant that her and Ryan were the last ones in the emergency department who needed to get out.

Yet Melissa moved in the opposite direction, she delved deeper into the hospital, and Ryan wasn't about to let her go all alone, no, they were in this together.

"Shouldn't we get the hell out of here?" Ryan asked in a hushed tone but she didn't try to move against Melissa, she just let her keep wandering down the vacant hallway.

Her nerves were on edge and there was an eerie atmosphere around them, since everyone had managed to get out of the hospital, every single room, every single hallway, was void of anyone else, which only served to remind Ryan that her and Melissa were only human. They didn't have super powers, they didn't have quick healing, they were just flesh and bone, easy to harm, easy to kill.

"Just, hang on." Melissa shook her head and moved forward, slowly rounding the corner.

Ryan's eyes latched on to the faint red glow at the opposite end of the hallway and she squinted her eyes to get a better look at what the source was. It didn't take too long for her to see that something, wait, no, _someone_ , was on fire.

"Jordan?" She called out to the thing on fire but he didn't respond, he didn't even flinch. She almost called out for him again but Melissa lifted a hand up and covered her mouth, forcing her to remain silent.

"Just leave him." Melissa whispered. "We don't know what he's doing and I don't think getting in his way is a good idea."

Melissa moved her hand away and Ryan nodded her understanding but added, "he won't hurt me, I know he won't."

"Yeah, well, I don't want to take that chance." Melissa forced a smile at Ryan but it wasn't hard to see that she was clearly anxious about still being in the hospital when everyone else had managed to get out. It was just them, the monster and Jordan, who was covered in red hot flames. Melissa had a point and Ryan didn't want to find out the hard way that maybe she was wrong about Jordan not hurting her.

The two females moved towards the elevator instead and Ryan's body tensed up with anticipation of what was to come. She mentally tried to figure out where the closest closet was in case the monster made another appearance, or even in case Jordan decided to go after them, but Melissa kept moving and she only slowed down when they were close enough to the elevator to just barely hear the gears turning.

"Can we please just go?" Ryan whimpered and when the elevator dinged, Melissa froze and turned on her heels.

The two of them took off running together as a loud roar erupted from the elevator shaft, Ryan not daring to turn around until her feet hit the pavement outside, and only then did she glance back to see if the beast had followed them out.

Melissa led her over towards the parking lot and the two of them located Melissa's car before the older nurse pulled her keys out of her pocket and made quick work of opening the doors.

"You want to stick around or do you want to get the hell away from this place?' Melissa questioned and the two girls climbed into the vehicle. Ryan slammed her door shut, as did Melissa, but the older female looked over at her, waiting for her answer.

"Maybe we can just sit here, at least for a little while, if that _thing_ comes out of the hospital, you can gun it."

"Sounds like a plan to me, but I'm turning the car on right now."

"Okay, and if Jordan comes out of the hospital, we trail him?"

"I wouldn't expect to do anything else." Melissa flashed her a small smile. "I don't know about you, but I'm seriously considering looking for a new job."

"Yeah, maybe at a doctor's office." Ryan teased back in response and turned her attention out of the side of the car towards the front of the building.

Melissa did just what she claimed and turned the car on and Ryan let out a breath before relaxing into the seat next to her. Now all she could do was pray that if the monster inside the hospital managed to get out, that the car would be able to outrun it. She certainly didn't want to be some big ugly beast's dinner.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

The impact, was that what brought him back from his blacked out state?

He remembered the strange feeling, he remembered the weird tickling sensation in his eyes when it first started, and then that was it. He didn't remember how he had gotten to the hospital from the sheriff's station where he had been, or why he was now sitting against the wall with a massive pain in his back from the impact of hitting the wall, nor did he know why the sheriff was looking at him as though he had grown an extra head.

Was his boss just as confused about everything as Jordan was?

"Parrish? Parrish? You okay?" The sheriff's voice still sounded faint but Jordan could make him out, he could feel his body again and he could see that he wasn't on the main floor. "Deputy!"

His entire body jerked at the man's rough tone but he quickly shook his head and tried to clear his thoughts, hoping that things would become clear soon enough. Glancing over at his boss, he didn't dare say a word for fear that he would make things worse. He couldn't figure out why he was at the hospital and he didn't understand why the hallway that he was currently sitting in looked like a hurricane had gone through. His immediate thoughts were of Ryan, yes Ryan was at work today, she was in the hospital the last that he figured he could remember, did that mean she was still inside somewhere?

Had she seen him coming in to the hospital? Had she tried to stop him? Had he hurt her while he had been out of control?

"What's-" Jordan didn't dare finish his sentence, instead, he looked upwards and caught sight of Scott and Stiles as they moved further and further away from him and the wall that he was propped up against. He could feel a slight burning sensation across his chest but when he dared to look down, his skin was untouched, a little charred but nonetheless it was all-intact.

The lights were flickering all around him and he could just barely hear the noise from where the wires had been damaged; whatever had happened to the hallway had to have been bad, yet Jordan couldn't remember anything that had happened before he had felt the impact of the wall against his back.

There were pieces of the wall and ceiling littered all over the floor, dust and debris right there with it, and Jordan could see hints of little flames from every which way. Were the fires still burning because of him, or were they a result of the damage done to the hospital? Well he didn't really know and he didn't really want to stick around to find out.

"What are they doing?' Jordan asked in a low voice and watched as Scott and Stiles disappeared around the nearby corner. The sheriff gave a shake of his head in response and met Jordan's eyes.

"Tracks." The sheriff answered simply and pointed to the floor. Amoung the debris and pieces of the walls, Jordan could just barely make out paw prints, giant animal paw prints, which headed in the same direction that the two teens had taken off to. "We're looking for the beast."

"And it's here?' Jordan hissed. "Where's Ryan? Please tell me you saw her, she's not up here, is she?"

The sheriff shook his head and moved up to his feet, offering Jordan his hand in the process. Jordan used the man's help and hauled himself upwards, looking down at the rest of his charred and blackened body before running a hand over his still achy chest.

"You had claw marks there when I first laid eyes on you." The sheriff explained and ghosted his fingers across Jordan's chest, mimicking where the wounds had been when the sheriff had seen them. "Three of them, huge too."

Jordan sucked in a breath and focused his energy on trying to recall anything that he couldn't already remember.

"Where's Ryan?' he asked and the sheriff made a motion down the hall, the opposite direction of where Stiles and Scott had gone down. "She's okay though?"

"She's out in the parking lot with Melissa." The sheriff answered. "Come on, let's get those two delinquents and get the hell out of here."

"Dad!" Stiles called out to him and the sheriff immediately went rigid, Jordan looking at the sheriff and waiting for his instruction. "Dad you got to see this!"

Breaking out into a jog, the sheriff took off in the direction of Stiles' voice, Jordan falling in step behind him and running after him, overtaking the older man as they rounded the corner. The two of them closed in on Scott and Stiles and came to a stop behind them, both men looking down in the direction of the floor, both of them spotting the bloodied tracks, except they were no longer animalistic, no, now they looked like shoe prints.

Did that mean that the beast wasn't a complete beast after all? Was it human under everything, was it _still_ able to be saved?

"Come on, let's get out of here before it decides to turn back into the _thing_ that made those other footprints." The sheriff instructed, pulling Jordan out of his thoughts. The four of them turned back in the direction of where they had found Jordan against the wall, but no one really moved until both boys snapped a dark, hardly clear picture of both the animal tracks and the shoe prints etched in blood on the floor.

Jordan fell in behind everyone and looked around at the damage to the hospital as they moved. They all took the stairs down to the man floor and when Jordan wandered through the emergency department, he looked every which way in search of any sign of carnage. Just because the sheriff had seen Ryan outside with Melissa McCall, didn't mean that she hadn't followed the man in after the fact.

But Jordan didn't see anything worth worrying about, he didn't even see much destruction on the main floor, apparently whatever the beast was doing took place on the fourth floor, and even Jordan hadn't seemed to have left any marks from fire that he could see.

As soon as he stepped outside, his lungs filled with fresh air and he let out a sigh of relief. Ryan immediately came into his view and he broke out into a jog so that he could reach her faster. She leapt at him and wrapped his arms around his neck, hugging him tightly as she buried her face into the crook of his neck, Jordan holding on to her right back, thanking the heavens above that she hadn't gotten herself hurt.

"I was so worried." Ryan murmured and felt him hug her that little bit tighter. He didn't want to let her go, he didn't want her out of his sight, not until they figured out where the beast- or well, the person who turned into the beast- had disappeared too. "And scared, god, I saw you in the hospital Jordan, you were on fire."

"I'm fine." He tried to sound reassuring but she only clung to him tighter, refusing to let go of him. Apparently she didn't want to part just as much as he didn't; that was just fine by him. "See, all in one piece."

"Good." She forced a nervous laugh out but he knew she didn't find it funny at all. What else was there for her to do though? If she didn't find a tiny bit of humour in the situation, then he knew she'd break before he could stop it. "Do you know what happened?"

"I know that there _was_ a beast in there." Jordan answered and loosened his grip on her just enough so that she could tip her head back and meet his eyes. "We followed its tracks and they turned into people footprints, looked like running shoes to me."

"I saw the beast." Ryan confessed in a soft voice. "It was big, and black, and terrifying, oh god, then I saw you and I didn't know what was happening, I was so scared Jordan."

"I know." He murmured and looked into her eyes, which were welling up with tears. "Trust me, I was scared too."

She nodded her understanding and slipped her arms around his middle instead of his neck, clinging to him like the world depended on it. He rested his own arms around her back and pressed a kiss against her forehead, trying to calm her down with the simple action but he still felt her shudder at the contact.

"I'm glad you're okay." She stated. "But if you're naked again, does that mean you burned through your new uniform?"

Jordan fought off the urge to smile at her. Honestly, he didn't know for sure but there was a good chance that he most certainly had. He was getting tired of buying replacements and he was fully aware that she was too, but what other choice did he have? He needed a uniform, and it wasn't like he could control when his body lit up like a torch.

"Let's go home." He didn't bother answering her question, instead, he pressed another kiss against her forehead, then he leaned down and met her lips. "I think we could both benefit from a shower."

"A bath." She corrected and ran her hand down his chest, drumming her fingers over his heart. "Maybe I can call my dad and see if he wouldn't mind keeping Kylie for the night."

"That sounds like a really good idea." He smiled at her. "Then when we get home, you can tell me all about what you saw tonight, and don't leave out any details."

"I can do that." She nodded. "I can definitely do that."

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

 ** _There will definitely be more moments with Jordan and Kylie coming up!_**


	77. Chapter 77

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary:_ _One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 _ **Chapter 77** **:**_

Ryan wandered into the house behind Jordan and stripped off her jacket, which she had gone back into the hospital to get. The two of them had managed to wait long enough for the hospital to be deemed safe, at which point Jordan escorted Ryan back inside to grab her stuff, as well as a hospital gown for himself so that he didn't have to ride in the car nearly naked.

Once they were inside the house though, Jordan turned around and made sure the door was shut tight and locked, then he reached around to the back of his neck and pulled on the strings of the gown, freeing it from his body. Ryan hung her own jacket on the hook and headed into the kitchen to get rid of her dirty dishes from the lunch that she had packed herself, when she reappeared in the front hall, she looked at Jordan and smiled.

"Did you ever see the Fantastic 4 movie?" Ryan asked, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen over them. "The one with Chris Evans?"

"Uh, I'm pretty sure I did, weren't there two of them?" Jordan countered and she waved him forward, drawing him into the kitchen with her. She lifted her hand up, and signalled for him to give her just a minute, then she stepped over to the roll of paper towels, ripped a bunch off and ran it under the tap in the middle of the counter.

Without explaining what she was doing, she headed right for Jordan and lifted the wet paper towels up to his face, gingerly wiping the ash away from his skin. Jordan just let her wipe his face, waiting for her to be satisfied and when she had uncovered most of his face, she stepped back from him.

"Well Chris Evans played the human torch, you know that much, right?" Ryan continued speaking and Jordan gave her a nod, letting her know that he was aware of the character that the actor had played in the movie. "You remind me of him in that movie, you _remind_ me of the human torch, and it's not as funny as it was when he did it."

"Ryan I don't mean to scare you." He sighed and she lifted her hands up, her palms in his direction.

"I know that, I do, it's not your fault, I just thought it was a good example of what happens to you from an outsider's perspective. You light up, just like the human torch. Flame on, flame off, it's not right." She explained with a shake of her head. "Don't get me wrong because I love you, god I love you _so_ much and I don't ever want you to think that I'm terrified of _you,_ but the things you're capable of are just…they're incredible."

"I'd be good if we ever decided to go camping." Jordan teased and he caught her lips turning up into a smile. "Or on really cold nights-"

"Well no, not on really cold nights because you'd burn my sheets and probably light my house on fire." Ryan argued but he could tell by the still present smile that their conversation hadn't yet taken a serious turn. This was good, definitely good, he missed the lightness that they used to have, he missed just having fun with her and lately, things had been anything but. "If the world ever goes to shit though and they need a superhero, I will gladly share you with the rest of planet earth, especially if you can save it from the evil Doctor Doom."

Jordan shook his head in amusement and took a few steps towards her, circling his arms around her waist and holding on to her. He looked into her eyes and she looked right back at him, the smile still present.

"Do I get a superhero name or anything?" Jordan quipped and she scrunched her face up in considering. He let her think about how she was going to answer him but before she could get any words out of her mouth, she started to giggle. Cocking his head to the side, he studied her and tried to figure out what was so funny and why she was laughing.

Her giggling became louder and she tipped her head from side to side, sucking in air as she moved. Whatever was going on in her head was incredibly funny and Jordan was suddenly desperate to find out what it was.

"Sorry." She sucked in a breath but still didn't stop laughing. Leaning against his chest, she went rigid and immediately moved away but when she looked down at the front of her uniform, she realized it was too late, the ash was already on her clothes and there was no point in staying too far away from him now. Ryan leaned against him again, this time not caring about getting dirty and Jordan held her tighter so that if she _did_ change her mind and try to move away from him she wouldn't be able to get too far. "It's not funny, I swear."

"What's not funny?" Jordan narrowed his eyes in on her and she managed to cease her laughter before meeting his eyes and bursting right back into a fit of hysterics. "Ryan?"

"I don't know how to like explain it." She spluttered and Jordan merely held on to her, waiting patiently for her to try and gather herself together. When she finally managed to stop laughing, she pressed her lips together and Jordan could tell how hard she was trying not to start laughing again. "Okay, okay, I'm done."

"No you're not." He smirked at her and she opened her mouth to protest but all that he heard was more laughing. Part of him didn't want her to stop, the sound of it was too nice, too relaxing after such serious days in the recent weeks, but another part of him wanted to know what she found _so_ funny.

"No, I'm not." Ryan cackled and peeled herself away from him. "Come on Fireman, let's head upstairs."

She latched her hand onto his and tugged his arm, pulling him along behind her as she headed for the stairs. Jordan was right there behind her and as she took them one step at a time, he matched her actions, the two of them reaching the second floor at the same time, Jordan taking over the lead. He scooped her up into his arms and carried her, bridal style, into the bathroom before setting her down so that her bum was resting on the edge of the tub.

Catching his eyes, she bit back her urge to keep laughing and when he leaned down and pressed a kiss against her lips, she surged forward, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and hauling him forward, the two of them nearly falling into the empty soaker tub. She refused to let go of him, nor did she break the kiss, and Jordan wasn't about to protest either.

With fumbling hands, he reached past her and managed to wrap his fingers around the taps, turning them both almost equally so at the very least the water wouldn't be cold. He didn't care at this point if it was hot, so long as it was relatively comfortable for the two of them.

"Jordan." Ryan breathed his name out and removed her hands from his back, quickly changing her tune and fumbling with the bottom hem of her scrub top. Jordan reluctantly stood up straight, letting her free her upper body from the garment, then he leaned back down and began trailing kisses over her shoulder, all the while his hands roamed over her back, up and down her sides and under her breasts. "Jordan god!"

His fingers finagled the clasp of her bra and when he managed to get it undone, she was quick to strip out of it, clearly in a hurry to be with him. He wiggled his hips and she pushed his underwear downwards before doing the same to her own pants and panties. Her socks came off too and before she had a chance to brace herself, he shifted her backwards and she collapsed into a heap in the filling tub.

"Shit!" He cursed and nearly jumped over the edge of the tub, his feet connecting with the bottom of it while he bent over her, trying to help her get herself into a more comfortable position while also making sure she was okay. "Sorry."

"It's fine." Ryan shook her head and struggled to get herself upright in the tub. "Make the water hotter? God please make it hotter?"

Jordan paused and took a quick look over her naked body before he did exactly what she requested and turned the hot water tap up further, heating the barely warm water so that she was more comfortable. Ryan manoeuvred herself so that she was on her knees in the middle of the tub, looking up at him through her lashes, Jordan meeting her gaze as he towered over her.

"What?" He questioned, a little perturbed by the hungry look in her eyes.

"Can you flame on at will?" Her eyes were sparkling with what he could only assume was mischief and Jordan lifted his hand up, snapping his fingers with the hopes that he could bring out a flame. When nothing happened though, she clawed at his hips and pleaded, by sheer use of her hands, for him to lower himself down and meet her in the water. "Focus on the heat maybe?"

Jordan carefully kneeled in front of her and he sucked in a deep breath, holding her eyes as he tried to concentrate on her request. He lifted his hand up between them and snapped his fingers, yet again, there was no flame produced.

"I guess I can't-"

"Don't snap." Ryan cut him off and pressed a kiss against his lips. She leaned back and wrapped both of her hands around his wrist, holding his hand steady between them. "First of all, it's tacky, second of all, maybe it doesn't work that way."

"Ryan, I'm not like the Human Torch." Jordan shook his head, clearly disappointed that he couldn't do what she was hoping for. He couldn't just bring out the flames whenever he wanted, hell, when he was on fire, half the time he didn't even know it. What was she honestly expecting?

"No, I know." She sighed but gave his wrist a rough squeeze. "You're real and you're so much sexier. I mean, sure Chris Evans is nice on the eyes but you, fuck I get to look at you whenever I want to."

Jordan cocked his head to the side and she pressed the ends of her fingers into his flesh, the tips of her nails just breaking skin.

"Ryan, what are you doing?" He asked, his voice husky. Looking down at where she was ripping into his skin, he couldn't help but watch her do whatever it was she was trying to do. When she loosened her grip on his wrist, letting her nails move away from his skin, they both watched in awe as his wounds closed up almost instantly. "Whoa."

"The same thing happened the night the sheriff brought you to the morgue." She explained. "You can heal. Now, let's see if we can't get this bath tub steaming."

"I don't need fire to do that." He grinned at her and Ryan's lips turned up into a giant smile. "I love you."

"I love you too." Ryan bowed her head and looked down at the space between them. "Fire or not, you're an amazing guy."

"Even if I'm not some knockoff version of the Human Torch?" Jordan raised an eyebrow in question and she shook her head.

"He can't hold a candle to you." Ryan murmured, her fingers running up his arms in a sultry manner.

"Pun intended?" Jordan joked and she shook her head at him. Before she had a chance to respond using her voice, he closed the distance between their faces and pressed a kiss against her lips, hard. Ryan let herself relax in his hold and he backed her up so that she was against the side of the tub.

When she felt the water getting even hotter, she didn't bother worrying about it because it was way more likely that he had hit the hot water tap instead of using his body to heat the water.

Either way, Ryan didn't care, she knew that he wasn't about to hurt her, and that was all that really mattered.

XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX

Ryan held the top of the towel tight against her chest as she sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes glued to Jordan as he pulled on a pair of clean boxer briefs. Her eyes were stuck on him, studying every dip, curve and hard muscle on his body, all the while Jordan seemed to remain oblivious to what she really wanted from him, which was a repeat of what they had done in the tub, only without the water.

It was rare that they were able to spend a night without worrying about Kylie interrupting them and Ryan didn't want to waste the time they had together at that minute. She wanted Jordan to wrap his arms around her and cuddle up nice and close with her under the covers, without clothes between them.

Chalking most of her red hot desire up to her hormones being out of whack, she didn't actually say anything with the hopes that maybe he'd just pick up on what she wanted without her having to tell him. When he turned to face her though, she forced a smile onto her face and rose up off the end of the bed.

"You okay?" Jordan asked in a hushed tone. "You seem-"

"It's just been a long day." She answered with a shrug. "Plus I'm like constantly tired because of the baby."

He nodded his understanding and took a few steps towards her, setting his own hands over hers and carefully prying them away from the top of the towel. Without putting up any fight at all, he managed to force the towel away from her, the two of them looking down as it landed on the floor in a pile at her feet.

"Too tired for me?" Jordan purred and ran his fingers through her hair, then over her shoulders before finally cupping her face. "Because if you're too tired for me, then I will let you climb into bed and let you go to sleep."

"What's the other option?" She whispered back to him, resting her palms on his chest. "Because I don't think I'm that tired, not yet anyways."

"We get in bed, maybe kiss a little bit, then hopefully that kissing will lead to other things and maybe I'll be able to make you hot without bursting into flames-"

She cut him off with a sharp bark of laughter, dropping her head down so that it rested against his shoulder, "sorry, I just picture having like third degree burns down _there._ "

Jordan rolled his eyes at her words but pressed a sweet little kiss against the top of her head, his hands still on her body, holding her against him as she relaxed. He didn't want to break their mood, he didn't want to throw her off, he wanted their night to continue to be as nice and enjoyable as it had been all along. Their bath had been nothing short of spectacular and the moans that she produced had been like music to his ears, spurring him on until neither one of them could help themselves.

Peeling herself away from him, she took a step back and let him look at her in all of her naked glory. It had been a while since he had actually gotten to study her, to see her without clothes on in the light, and he wasn't going to pass up the chance. His eyes trailed down over her face, taking in the sight of her glimmering eyes, then he kept looking her over, moving his gaze downwards, looking at her breasts a little longer than he had anticipated.

"They're going to get bigger." Ryan said softly, breaking Jordan's concentration. His expression turned into that of confusion and she gazed down at her naked body with him. "My boobs, they're going to get bigger."

"Oh." He nodded. "The baby, right?"

"Yeah." She smiled wider and ran her hands over the front of her hips, giving her sides a rough squeeze in the process. "Can you even tell?"

Jordan seized the opportunity and looked at her, _really_ looked at her, as she remained standing in front of him, her hands on her hips and nothing obstructing his view of her. There was nothing that he could see that would indicate that she was pregnant, no obvious signs either and with a shake of his head, he answered her.

"You look perfect." Jordan said. "If you hadn't told me, I never would've guessed."

"Yeah, until I got super fat and moody." She scoffed and turned halfway around, letting him take in the back of her, as well as her sides. She turned a little further and let him look at her profile, giving him one last chance to see if he could see anything that would even suggest she was pregnant. Her stomach was still flat and her breasts were no different than usual. "You know what I like about you?"

Jordan shook his head and peeled his eyes away from her form, looking into her eyes instead, "that I'm good looking?"

"Well yes but that's not what I mean." She scoffed.

"Okay, then I have no idea what you like about me."

"You haven't tried to like caress me or pet my stomach." She explained and ran her nails across her abdomen a few times. "Cole used to try and touch me all the time when I was pregnant, he'd rub my big, fat belly and kiss it and it just…it drove me nuts, I hated it."

"Really?" Jordan pressed. "But why?"

"Because I'm not one of those women that feels that good when they're pregnant. I hated all the extra attention, I hated feeling like he only treated me better because I was pregnant. I know he loved me all the same but I don't know…it's stupid."

"It's not stupid." Jordan stepped towards her but paused and grabbed her sleep shirt that had been lying on the bed. When he offered it to her, she pulled it on over her head and let it fall down to her thighs. "You're allowed to feel however you want and if you don't like something that I do, you can always tell me. I never want you to resent me, or think I'm being an asshole."

"It doesn't make me weird?" Ryan countered and tore her eyes off of him, looking down at her feet instead.

"I don't think so. It's not like us men know how being pregnant feels, if I really think about it, I can't imagine it's all that comfortable." Jordan smiled at her and she looked up, meeting his eyes. "I just want you to be happy, I want you to feel however you're going to feel and if there's ever anything you need, I'll be there for you."

Ryan sucked in a breath and ran her fingers through her damp, and still tangled, hair. Jordan used his finger and tipped her head back so that she wasn't able to shy away from his gaze anymore.

"It's not so bad right now but I know it's going to start sucking real soon." Ryan confessed. "I'll get moody, I'll have weird cravings, I'm already in like a permanent state of arousal-"

"I can remedy that right now." Jordan teased and she snorted in response.

"My boobs are starting to hurt." She admitted, running her hands over the front of her shirt. "If you want to feel my stomach, it's okay."

"I appreciate the offer." Jordan said and moved his finger out from under her chin. "But does it really feel any different at this point?"

She pressed her palms against her front and tried to figure out how best to answer him. It wasn't like there was much there, hell, he had already admitted that she looked exactly the same as before, but _did_ it feel different?

"It's maybe a little harder, like not as squishy…" She trailed off and knitted her eyebrows together.

"Squishy." He repeated her describing word and chuckled at the look on her face. "You're far from squishy."

"Fleshy? Is that a better term?" She prodded at her abdomen, trying to find a better word. "Are you excited?"

Jordan gave her a nod of his head and opened his arms, letting her into his hold. She let out a sigh and relaxed in his grasp, all the while, Jordan pressed a few chaste kisses against the side of her head.

"I want to be with you, I love you, and I can't wait to see what our baby will look like." Jordan said in a soft, reassuring voice.

"Yeah, okay. Good."

"Ryan, you're it for me, you're the person that I want to spend the rest of my life with."

"You're the person _I_ want to spend the rest of my life with too." She agreed and suddenly she felt her heart constricting in her chest. Was this the beginning of his proposal, was he confessing his undying love for her before he dropped down to one knee and asked her if she'd be his wife? Was that what was going on here?

Jordan didn't move though, he just looked down at her, clearly sensing her nerves. Without a word between them, he trailed his hand down her side and pressed his palm against her stomach, directly over her belly button. Ryan shivered at his touch but didn't flinch, nor did she move away, as uncomfortable as the gesture felt to her, she knew that she had offered and she wasn't about to renege.

"I can stop any time." Jordan teased and Ryan blew out a nervous breath before giving his arm a rough shove away from her. "I won't touch you like that again, unless you tell me it's okay."

"Okay." She nodded her head. "I think, maybe there's something you should know."

Jordan looked at her with a concerned expression but Ryan just shook her head at him, trying to gather her thoughts together before she said what she wanted to say. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to tell him about the cramping and the worries that she had because of it. If she didn't tell him, if she didn't let him know and then something happened, she'd feel just awful. He was the baby's father, he deserved to know, even if it did turn out to be nothing to worry about.

"You can tell me anything." Jordan baited her and Ryan sucked in a breath.

"I don't think it's a big deal or anything but I've been having cramps lately."

"Cramps?"

"Yeah, like the other night when you disappeared, I was sitting on the stairs waiting for you and I just had the worst cramp ever. It stopped hurting after a little while but I've been having them on and off since then, it's probably nothing but cramping is sometimes a bad sign." Ryan explained.

"For the baby?"

"Yes." She forced what she was hoping was a reassuring smile onto her face. "I just thought you should know."

"Oh." Jordan remarked. "Should I be worried?"

"I don't think so, I was going to bring it up at my next appointment but I think so long as there isn't any blood or anything-"

"You're not bleeding though, right?"

"No." She shook her head. "No bleeding."

"Okay. That's good." Jordan muttered. "Everything's fine."

"Yes." She said. "As far as I can tell."

"You'd tell me if something didn't feel right?" Jordan asked.

"I would." She quipped. "I definitely would."

He nodded along with her and found himself at a loss for words. He didn't want to lose the baby and he knew that she didn't want to either, but what did her cramping really mean and was it worse than she was trying to let on? Without pressing her any further, he hugged her tight against him, pressed a reassuring kiss against her forehead and just basked in the feeling of her in his arms.

He didn't want to be anywhere else.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

 ** _A much deserved moment between Ryan and Jordan, don't you agree?_**


	78. Chapter 78

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary:_ _One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 _ **Chapter 78** **:**_

She considered herself lucky that she was standing right next to Melissa McCall when Scott and Liam wandered into the hospital the day following the beast attack. Ryan didn't know why they were at the hospital, but she knew that she wanted to help them any way that she could, plus doing things with Melissa made her feel like she was important, that she was a contributing member to the supernatural side of things in Beacon Hills.

Plastering a polite smile onto her face, she stepped closer to Melissa and watched as Scott and Liam did the same, coming to stop on the woman's other side, while Ryan remained just behind her. Melissa looked from the boys back to Ryan and then at the boys again, then she spoke in hushed tones.

"Follow me, I'll take you guys down to the morgue."

"The morgue?" Ryan piped up but still kept her voice low, so as no prying ears would hear her. "What for?"

"We uh, we need body bags." Scott answered, his tone hesitant to let Ryan in on what they were doing. She knew from earlier that the pack, Scott and his little group of friends, were going to be trying to get Lydia from her room at Eichen House but she didn't know why, and she didn't care really.

"Right, because that's such a normal request." Ryan remarked sarcastically and rolled her eyes. "I think this is one of those times where I'd almost prefer to not be a part of your plan."

"Okay, well, I was going to ask you if you wanted to come down to the morgue with us but I guess if you'd rather stay here…" Melissa trailed off and Ryan lifted her hand up, signalling that Melissa should just stop talking for a second. No one moved and Ryan swallowed the little bit of pride she had left.

"I said _almost_." She pointed out and a small smile grew on Melissa's lips. "I haven't _quite_ reached the point where I'm out, not yet anyways."

"Good, come on then."

Melissa turned down the hall and started walking in the direction of the elevator, the boys falling in behind her. Ryan hesitated, stole a look around the hallway and then she too wandered along behind Melissa as she led them all down the hallway and onto the floor containing the morgue. Ryan felt the chill from the room before she spotted the doors and without question she let her body shake from the cool air. She didn't say a word though, she merely hugged her arms against her and continued to follow Melissa as she headed right into the room with her, Scott and Liam right behind her.

Ryan stepped off to the side and watched in awe as Melissa easily dug out a few of the body bags belonging to the hospital. Ryan shook her head and tried not to think about what the boys' plan was and why it involved body bags. She knew enough, like the fact that they were trying to get Lydia out of Eichen House, but she didn't know the details, nor did she want to.

Lydia wasn't her problem and so long as she was tucked inside the walls of the mental institution then that meant she was out of Ryan's hair, _and_ away from Jordan.

Melissa wandered over towards the two boys, Liam extending his arms out to take the bags off her hands but when she was close enough, she turned to face Scott instead and gently placed the black rubbery sacks onto his outstretched arms. Ryan cocked her head to the side and met Liam's eyes, receiving a small shrug from the younger boy in response.

"Just promise you're not coming back in one of these." Melissa pleaded.

"We're coming back with Lydia." Scott countered quickly and confidently.

"Okay." Melissa nodded her head and reluctantly backed away from her son, putting a good distance of space between them. She moved over to stand closer to Ryan who immediately offered the older woman her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze as she gripped it.

Melissa wandered back over towards the stack of body bags, bringing Ryan with her and the females gathered up a couple more sacks for the boys.

"We still don't know who's actually doing this, who the Beast is." Liam pointed out. Ryan chanced a quick glance back at him and forced what she was hoping was a reassuring smile in his direction. She had faith in Scott, she knew that of all the people in Beacon Hills that were capable of something as absurd as breaking into Eichen House and breaking _out_ one of their patients, that it would be Scott and his little band of misfits.

"We'll find out." Scott said in response.

"You think it's someone we know?" Liam continued to ask questions and Ryan hung on to their every word, trying to gain as much information as she could about the very same monster that had attacked the hospital the previous night.

"I hope not." Scott shook his head.

"You think he even knows he's doing it?" Liam pressed and Melissa stepped up in front of the boy, Ryan right there with her.

"How are you so sure it's a he?" Melissa questioned, her tone flat and emotionless. Without another word, she tossed the body bags at Liam while Ryan handed hers over to Scott, setting them on top of the other bags that she had already given to her son.

"Are you still mad at me?" Liam asked, looking directly at Melissa.

"Mad at you?" Ryan tilted her head sideways in confusion, studying the adorable little teenager in front of her. What had she missed? Why would he ever think that Melissa was mad at him? Okay, it wasn't hard to see that Melissa was a little off around Liam, and maybe she did seem a little more agitated than she had been before the two boys showed up, but wouldn't Melissa have told Ryan about some incident that involved Liam?

"No." Melissa ignored Ryan's confusion and shook her head at Liam. "But if you try to kill my son again, I'll put you in one of these myself."

"Wait?" Ryan barked. "Kill him _again_?"

"I'll tell you later." Melissa remarked and the two girls headed back across the room.

"She's still mad." Liam said in a hushed tone and when Ryan looked back to steal a look at the two boys, she noticed the amused smile on Scott's face, as well as him nodding his head yes.

Ryan desperately wanted to know what was going on, and how Melissa could keep something like whatever they were talking about from her. Liam had tried to _kill_ Scott once before, and here she was, threatening him that if he tried to kill him again, that she'd put him in a body bag herself? What the hell had happened, _when_ had it happened, and why hadn't Ryan known about it before this point?

"What's he talking about?" Ryan asked in a whisper and Melissa shrugged at her, not overly anxious to delve into the story about what had happened between Scott and Liam to warrant her anger towards the younger boy. "Melissa, tell me?"

"The same night that I called you to help me with Hayden," Melissa paused and looked directly at Ryan, sucking in a breath before she continued, "Liam was at the library with Scott, except they weren't playing nice, Liam was trying to _kill_ my son."

"What?" Ryan's eyes widened in shock and she stared at her friend, hoping that what she was saying wasn't true. The look in her eyes was stone cold serious though and Ryan knew better than to accuse her friend of lying, or making things up. If she claimed that Liam had tried to kill her son, then she was right. "He tried to kill Scott?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "Needless to say, I'm not really that fond of him right now."

"Yeah, I got that." Ryan mumbled in response and lifted her hand up, giving Melissa's shoulder a gentle, reassuring pat. "Well, on the bright side, it looks like he didn't succeed, right? That's got to count for something."

"Don't." Melissa snipped and shook her head. "Just leave it, I don't want to remember that night if I don't have to."

Ryan nodded her understanding and filed their conversation away under the 'do not bring up' section of her mind. Maybe she'd try asking Jordan if he knew anything about it later, maybe she'd let it go, just like Melissa had requested. After all, it was obvious that Scott hadn't been killed, he was alive and well and standing not ten feet away from her, things must not have turned out _that_ bad then, right?

Yet there was still such animosity between her and Liam, which only served to fuel Ryan's curiosity. What _had_ happened that night? Why had Liam tried to kill Scott in the first place?

"He wouldn't help Hayden." Liam said in a small voice and Ryan immediately turned her attention towards the youngest person in the room. She locked her eyes on him and stared, waiting for someone to say something that would further explain things.

"Hayden died that night." Melissa threw in, definitely hesitant to provide anything more to the story.

"I took it out on Scott." Liam confessed.

"Oh." Ryan winced at the thought of the adorable little Liam Dunbar daring to try and kill Scott McCall, alpha werewolf extraordinaire.

"He didn't kill me, obviously." Scott added with a small smile toying on his lips. Ryan gave him a nod but kept her eyes locked on Liam, wondering how someone so young and unthreatening looking could attack and try to kill someone as loyal and kind as Scott. "Theo did though."

"Theo?" Ryan gulped. "Theo Raeken? The same Theo who apparently helped Lydia when the kanima thing attacked? _That_ Theo?"

"Yes." Melissa reached out and ran her hand down Ryan's shoulder.

"So if Theo _killed_ you, how are you…how are you here right now?" Ryan pressed, desperate to understand what the hell was going on. Scott had been killed, by Theo no less, yet Scott was very much alive and in the very same room as her, how did that make any sense? "Do alpha werewolves not die without a special weapon or something?"

"I brought him back." Melissa tossed out and suddenly all eyes were on her. "What?"

"This is the sort of stuff that you _tell_ me." Ryan narrowed her eyes in on her friend. "Fuck."

"I guess with all the commotion, it slipped my mind." Melissa remarked. "Plus it wasn't like I was all that happy to explain to anyone that I found my son dead on the library floor."

Ryan sucked in a breath and tipped her head to the side as she absorbed everything that was said in front of her. She didn't know what exactly she had been expecting when she had wandered down to the morgue with her friend, her friend's son and her friend's son's friend, but finding out that Scott had actually died the same night that Hayden had certainly wasn't it.

Instead of saying another word though, Ryan just bowed her head and let the morgue remain silent. A few awkward seconds of nothing but quiet passed before Liam spoke again.

"I didn't _mean_ to."

Ryan winced at the low growl ruminating in Melissa's gut. No one else said anything, not as Melissa led the way back out of the morgue and definitely not as Ryan waved them all forward, making sure the door was shut behind them.

She didn't know what to say, and she didn't know how Melissa was feeling, so instead of opening her mouth, she just stayed silent and hoped that maybe she could talk to Melissa one on one about it later.

She took one more look at Melissa, noticed the stiff way she was walking, and figured that a conversation between the two of them about what _really_ happened that night probably wasn't going to happen.

Well, Ryan knew she couldn't always have _all_ the answers, she'd just have to accept that there were going to be things she didn't quite understand. She could live with that, so long as no one was keeping the existence of the supernatural away from her like they had once upon a time.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Jordan was tucked away behind the glass when Stiles wandered into the sheriff's station with that look on his face; the familiar look that meant that whatever he needed from Jordan wasn't going to be a simple request. Stiles never made simple requests, he barely made requests that didn't involve the supernatural anymore, which is precisely why Jordan found his jaw clenching at the mere sight of the sheriff's son.

"What do you want?" Jordan ground out and let out a frustrated sigh as Stiles came to a stop in front of the opening on the glass separating the two of them. Stiles lifted his hands into the air in a gesture of surrender but Jordan only glared at him in response.

"What? No 'oh hi, how are you today'? I'm glad that we're still friends here Parrish." Stiles responded with a roll of his eyes, but Jordan wasn't falling for his tricks this time. He didn't know what Stiles wanted and frankly he wasn't sure he cared. It would involve someone being in danger and Jordan wasn't sure he could handle that anymore, especially if the person in danger was someone that he knew and cared about, someone like Ryan.

He also didn't want to _put_ anyone in danger and the less that he got involved, the more he could stay away from other people and not put them directly in harm's way. He just wanted people around him to be safe, was that so much to ask?

With Stiles standing in front of him, waiting for him to speak, he knew that it was probably, no definitely, way too much to ask.

"I need your help, _we_ need your help." Stiles carried on, as soon as he realized that Jordan wasn't going to say anything to him, not until he said something first.

"Who's we?" Jordan shot back and lifted his arms up, crossing them over his chest.

"Scott, definitely Scott and uh, Lydia, she needs your help too-"

"Lydia?" Jordan tilted his head sideways in confusion and wondered how the hell Stiles knew that Lydia needed his help. The last he saw of the girl, she was being loaded up into the back of an ambulance transport and taken over to Eichen House. Was she not still stuck in Eichen House? Had her mother had second thoughts and signed her out?

Surely Jordan would've known if that was the case, but maybe just because Lydia was potentially free from the insane asylum didn't mean she was going to seek Jordan out, especially not after the way that Ryan had handled the whole 'being alone with Lydia' situation. Maybe Lydia was a little leery over what Ryan might do to her if she dared to approach Jordan. The thought of Lydia being a little scared of his girlfriend almost made him crack a smile, but he managed to keep himself composed.

"She's uh, she's in trouble and we need to get her out of Eichen House in order to keep her alive." Stiles explained vaguely and Jordan found himself with more questions than answers. How did Stiles _know_ that?

"What do you need me for?" Jordan asked, his tone much more understanding than it had been a few seconds earlier. He even uncrossed his arms so that he didn't come across as rigid and unwilling as he had originally tried to do.

"We need you to drive a van full of bodies from Beacon Hills Memorial into Eichen House, those bodies will incude Scott and Liam, it's the only way that we can get them that deep into Eichen and we need you."

"To drive the van? With Scott, Liam and a bunch of bodies?"

"Yes." Stiles nodded and set his palms on the edge of the counter. "They'll be in the back mixed in with a bunch of real bodies."

"Right." Jordan replied, his voice laced with scepticism.

"If we can get them straight into Eichen's morgue, then they won't be checked at the front door-"

"You want to avoid a security check _and_ get them as deep into Eichen House as possible by mixing them in with a bunch of corpses?" Jordan cut in, starting to understand the plan a little bit. "What about the rest of your little group of friends?"

"Huh, well see, Malia and Kira are going to go in the front doors and somehow get into the control room where Kira will draw out enough of the system's power to cause a brown out and reboot the system, effectively resetting the codes for the key cards allowing us to get into the closed unit where Lydia is and get her out." Stiles explained almost all in one breath.

Jordan tried to follow along but Stiles had spewed the information out so fast that he had nearly missed some of the details. He _just_ managed to catch enough to understand what they were trying to do and he knew that it wasn't going to be as easy as Stiles made it sound. This was Eichen House they were talking about, the same Eichen House that held a whole bunch of dangerous supernatural creatures within the walls.

"That's it, that's the plan?" Jordan stared at the teenager in front of him and Stiles gave him a nod of his head. Was Stiles Stilinski absolutely crazy? The plan was complicated, it was too reliant on a number of different pieces going right, did he really think it was going to work?

"We have to get Lydia out and we have to do it now- well not now, not this exact minute but definitely tonight, if we don't do it tonight, bad things are going to happen to her and she won't make it out of there alive." Stiles carried on and Jordan cleared his throat, drawing Stiles' attention back to him and ceasing his ramblings.

Jordan didn't move from his stance, he didn't move out from behind the glass, he simply remained standing on the opposite side of the glass window as Stiles, looking at the young man and trying to figure him out. When the boy reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys, tossing them to the surface of the counter, Jordan tilted his head to the side and studied the boy in front of him. The plan was flawed, it wasn't very good and frankly, Jordan didn't feel that comfortable being invited to participate in their little mission to Eichen House.

"That's the worst plan I've ever heard." Jordan stated and stared at the boy on the other side of the window, hoping that he'd come up with a better plan in the five seconds that he had given him before speaking. Stiles seemed to be intelligent enough but his plan sounded absolutely crazy! There was no way it was going to work that well and it wasn't going to go that smoothly, but yet he seemed confident.

"Okay, the plan is perfect and it'll work _perfectly_ , especially if you agree to drive the van." Stiles countered, using his hands to emphasize his point. At the conclusion of his sentence, he pressed his fingers against the keys and slid them across the counter so that they were on Jordan's side of the window, implying that he needed to take them, he needed to take them and agree to be a part of the asinine plan.

"Is the Sheriff on board with this?" Jordan questioned after a quick look down at the set of keys that Stiles had set down. These were the keys to the van, the very van in question, which only begged to ask how Stiles had gained possession of them?

"How do you think I got the keys?" Stiles quipped.

"I thought you _stole_ them." Jordan answered, keeping his eyes locked on Stiles. It was a very reasonable assumption, Jordan was aware of all the other things belonging to the sheriff's station that Stiles had stolen before this point. Until he spoke directly to his boss and heard the reassurance from the very sheriff's mouth, Jordan wasn't going to believe much of what came out of Stiles' mouth.

"While that's a perfectly reasonable assumption, I did not steal them." Stiles retorted calmly, moving his arm out to the side, almost daring Jordan to question him further. Jordan let out a sigh instead and waited for Stiles to keep going. "And we need you because all of the Eichen guards know all of the Sheriff Deputies, okay, we need a real deputy, and one who won't ask questions."

"It's not safe to bring me along." Jordan said with a shake of his head, his mind drifting to all of the nights that he couldn't remember what had happened, as well as all of the bodies that he had played a role in taking. "I'm dangerous."

"So is the giant murdering werewolf that's killed over thirty people, but somehow didn't kill you." Stiles explained, locking his eyes onto Jordan and pointing at him with an accusing finger.

Okay, maybe Stiles had a point, maybe he wasn't _quite_ as dangerous as he believed, especially not if there was something out there bigger, stronger and much scarier than him. Was it worth it to help him out, was it worth it to go along with their plan and try to get Lydia away from the insane asylum?

"This is all for Lydia?" Jordan sighed and Stiles widened his eyes at Jordan in response. "To _save_ Lydia?"

"Yes, we need to get her out." Stiles nodded his agreement and Jordan sucked in a breath, hoping that he wasn't about to choose wrong. He wanted to help Lydia, he really did, but he knew that it was going to be hard, it was going to be chaos.

"You're sure this is going to work?" Jordan pressed and leaned against the counter, his palms pressing against the cool surface.

"One hundred percent sure…well maybe like eighty percent…" Stiles droned on and Jordan lifted a hand up, bringing his attention back towards him.

"If you're sure it'll work." Jordan sighed again.

"I don't just think it _will_ work okay, I _know_ it might." Stiles nodded his head with a shrug and Jordan couldn't help but smile a little bit at the kid's confidence. Sure the plan was littered with faults but it was all for Lydia, it was all to _save_ Lydia. Didn't he owe them that much?

"I'm in." Jordan announced and Stiles' eyes lit up, Jordan lifting a finger to signal that he still had one more thing to add. "But only if I can ask Ryan to come with us, she's a nurse, she might be able to help us get passed the guards a little easier, especially if we're bringing bodies from the hospital."

"Yeah, you want to bring your little girlfriend, bring her, you got anyone else you want to bring, they can come too, so long as you're the one driving the van, I don't care who else you want to include." Stiles explained.

"Okay, it'll _just_ be Ryan." Jordan shook his head at the sheriff's son and finally took the keys into his grasp, lifting them up and signalling that he was going to be driving the van in their plan to get Lydia out of Eichen House.

All Jordan had to do before that night was talk Ryan into helping out the strawberry blonde who's name was Lydia Martin; that almost seemed like a worse idea than the very plan itself.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

 ** _Thoughts?_**

 ** _Guest: Ryan and Jordan definitely need more sweet moments :) I'd like to believe that Jordan is a very patient person who would respect someone's boundaries, at least when he can control himself that is lol_**


	79. Chapter 79

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 _ **Chapter 79** **:**_

"Honestly, I thought it'd be harder to convince you to come along." Jordan stated as he pulled the van up the driveway to Eichen House. Ryan was sitting comfortably in the passenger seat wearing her scrubs from earlier in the day with her jacket on over top. She peered over to steal a glance at him and forced a smile onto her face, hoping that he couldn't pick up on how truly uneasy she was feeling.

She had been torn to start with on whether or not she had really wanted to go but if it meant being by Jordan's side for the night, being right next to him and knowing what he was doing, then the potential for danger was worth it. At least if something bad was going to happen, she'd be there to witness it if she couldn't at least make an attempt to stop it.

"I don't like you running off on your own." Ryan replied. "You should know that by now. Sometimes I wonder if maybe Kylie's a better listener than you are."

"Ha ha." He laughed sarcastically but when she caught the look on his face, she knew that the smile he was giving her was genuine. This was something she had been desperately missing lately, she wasn't used to such serious conversations with him, she liked the way things had been before when they were almost light and fun.

Jordan Parrish was the man for her, and she'd take him however he was, whether it was serious, easy-going or overwhelmingly protective, she loved him for who he was and she wasn't going to give him up for anything.

"You and her still both needs bells." Ryan teased and Jordan let out an amused scoff. "Or GPS trackers, so I can keep tabs on you with my phone."

"I'm glad to see you aren't one of those overbearing spy moms." Jordan joked, Ryan offering him a shrug as if to say 'what can you do'. "Seriously though, you didn't _have_ to come tonight."

She levelled him with a pointed look but broke out into a smile instead. It wasn't like she had ample opportunities to spend time with him anymore lately and even when she did, the chances of him being called away were good, too good. This was a mission that he was involved in and once he had explained to her what the goal was, and what part he was supposed to play, she had figured that the danger level for the two of them wasn't as high as the danger level for the rest of the pack.

She wondered how much of the plan that Melissa actually knew about but considered the older woman's response if she did. Her very son was a true alpha, a good kid who was just trying to keep his friends from dying, if Ryan was in the same position, she figured she'd do the same as Melissa, maybe even go a step further and get involved in the plan herself.

Luckily for her though, Kylie was much too small to be a werewolf and have an uncanny need to keep her friends alive. Ryan thanked the stars above that her family life hadn't reached the same point as Melissa's, although with a potentially supernatural baby on the way, Ryan hadn't counted it out just yet.

"You okay?" Jordan spoke softly and she knew that she had lost herself in her own thoughts. He must've noticed that she had gotten silent, and silent, especially during a mood that they had just been in, definitely would've thrown him off.

"Fine, just thinking." Ryan answered, her voice just as soft as his.

"About what?" He pressed and she shook her head, trying not to get too caught up in her own mind. There were worries that plagued her day in and day out, things that he didn't know about yet, but he was asking her what she was thinking about, was it right to lie to him, especially when they were so close to the gate at Eichen House?

"The baby." She confessed and took her bottom lip in between her teeth. He slowed the van down and looked at her with a curious expression, then he let the vehicle roll forward, stopping it completely right next to the little building that the guard was manning outside of the bigger building that served as Eichen House.

"Hold that thought." Jordan remarked in a low tone and made sure Ryan's window was rolled down so that he could speak to the guard waiting outside of the van.

The guard stepped out of the little building and nabbed a clipboard, heading closer to the van so that he wouldn't have to yell to be heard. Jordan threw a friendly smile on his face and waited patiently for the man to speak first but when the man merely stared at him with an intense look on his face, he didn't know what exactly to do.

"Hi there." Ryan chirped with a smile of her own. "How are you tonight?"

"I'm fine." The man replied stoically but Ryan was undeterred in her attempts at making small talk.

"Nice night out huh?" She leaned her elbow against the open window and held his eyes, hoping to distract him enough that maybe he wouldn't bother looking at the bodies in the back, the bodies that were both dead and alive. "Bet you don't get a lot of deliveries at this time of day."

"Can't say that we do." The guard was stone cold and she let out a huff at his lack of desire to actually interact with her. "What exactly _are_ you two here for?"

"Delivery to the morgue." Jordan piped up, cutting Ryan off before she could try to have anymore of an awkward conversation with the Eichen Guard. "From Beacon Hills Memorial."

"I don't see you on the list." The Eichen guard looked very, very carefully at the list of expected visitors on his clipboard but once he was done reading through, he gave a little shake of his head as he met Jordan's gaze, completely ignoring Ryan for the time being. Apparently he didn't want to chat, he just wanted to get right down to business, which meant he'd be dealing with Jordan.

Ryan rolled her eyes at the guy but leaned back in her seat, letting the two men do business instead of interfering.

"You heard about the animal attacks, right?" Jordan inquired and the guard gave a barely noticeable nod of his head. "The hospital ran out of refrigerated drawers and Eichen's got the only other up-to-code morgue in the county."

"So many bodies." Ryan mumbled but the guard didn't even bat an eye in her direction. She shook her head at their lack of attention but didn't dare say a word for fear that she'd say the wrong thing at the wrong time. Mr. Eichen Guard clearly wasn't messing around.

"Let's have a look." The guard instructed and gave Jordan a wave towards the back of the van. Before he could get too far away from the open window though, Jordan was ready and waiting to distract him with the hopes that they could just breeze by security.

"I don't think you want to do that, the stench back there almost made me pass out while driving." Jordan threw out.

"And I almost puked, like more than once." Ryan added with a saccharine smile.

The guard wasn't fazed by their words, nor did he seem to pay any attention to Ryan's remarks. She found herself wondering what it would take for him to put his attention back on her, but at the sight of the serious expression on the man's face, she knew that this was not the time, or place, to play games with the guard outside of the mental institution.

"Open the back of the van, please." The Eichen guard instructed and Jordan nodded his head, waiting a few seconds until the man had disappeared from the window. Ryan reached a hand out and set it on Jordan's forearm, catching him before he had a chance to take his seatbelt off.

"You stay here." He commanded but she was quick to shake her head no.

"I need air." She remarked and jerked a thumb in the direction of the back, where the bodies were stashed and the scent was permeating from. "Or I really _am_ going to puke."

"Okay." He bowed his head and together the two of them exited the van, Jordan walking around the driver's side of the van while Ryan wandered around the passenger side. She stood on the guard's right while Jordan took up a stance on the man's left, then Jordan reached out and pulled the handle on the doors, opening them without any trouble.

When the guard pulled out a flashlight, Ryan seized her opportunity and stole a look around at the outside walls of Eichen House, studying as much of the building as she could. The place was absolutely gigantic and the more of the outside that she looked at, the more windows she counted in her head, the more she wanted to see what it was like inside. Call it morbid curiosity but the place definitely intrigued her, she just hoped that she'd never have to see the inside because someone dared to admit her.

"I'll need to log the names off the toe tags." The guard's voice was gravelly and Ryan turned her focus right back to him, fearful that if he caught her looking anywhere but inside the back of the van, that he might call her out. When she looked up at his face though, she knew that he was too busy doing his job.

"There's significant decomp, they were found in the county tunnels way past rigor." Jordan was trying desperately to keep Scott and Liam a secret and she knew how much of the plan depended on getting the two boys inside, but wasn't this the exact reason why they had brought actual bodies with them too?

The guard would open one of the body bags containing the actual dead body, he'd see that they weren't trying to pull a fast one on him and then he'd let them go, that was the plan, which was what they were anticipating. Ryan sucked in a breath and held it, knowing that the smell was going to get a hundred times worse as soon as Jordan unzipped the first bag.

"Open them up, please." The guard demanded and she watched as Jordan reluctantly leaned into the back of the van.

His hand latched on to the zipper and he shot a quick look over to Ryan, who was still working away at holding her breath. She gave him a small smile and he went right ahead, unzipping the bag just enough for the guard to get a good look at the decomposing body inside. As soon as the man caught sight, and smell, of the corpse inside, he let out a gagging noise and turned his back to the inside of the van, his flashlight moving across the sky as he retreated away from the open doors.

She didn't let out her breath, not even as Jordan zipped up the body bag, because she knew that if she wasn't quick, and he decided to open another one, she would take the brunt of the stench head on.

When the guard was looking back at Jordan, he set his hands on the side of the next body bag and made the zipper move a couple of inches.

"No, no. Go, just go." The guard lifted his hand up and stopped Jordan's movements immediately. Ryan blew out her breath slowly and waited for Jordan to slam the back doors shut before she could breathe easily again. "You two have a nice night."

Ryan had to stop herself from skipping back to the front of the van, ha, yes, they had pulled it off, they had managed to fool the guard into believing that each and everybody in the back of the van was dead. She climbed into the passenger seat while Jordan climbed into the driver's seat and before she knew it, they were heading right for the main building.

He pulled up alongside an overhead door and manoeuvred the van so that the back of it was almost against it. Putting the vehicle in park, he paused, leaned over towards Ryan and waited for her to lean in to him too.

"We get these bodies inside, then we're talking about the baby." Jordan whispered. She forced a smile onto her face, closed the distance between them and pressed a chaste kiss against his lips. When she pulled away, she ran her fingers along the side of his jaw and raised one of her eyebrows.

"What do you mean _we_ deputy? I'm pregnant remember, no heavy lifting for me."

Jordan shook his head at her but didn't argue. She definitely had a point and the fact that she had even agreed to come with him was enough for him. Pushing her wasn't going to work and she wasn't wrong, she _was_ pregnant, he didn't want to take any chances with the baby.

"Fine, _I'll_ get the bodies inside." Jordan corrected himself and Ryan grinned at him but didn't say another word. The overhead door went up behind them and when it was stuck on the open position, Jordan hopped out of the van and made his way around to the back. She leaned against his seat and peered behind her, catching him looking at her as he pulled the first body out and set it on a stretcher that someone from inside of Eichen had brought over for him to use.

She kept her eyes trained on Jordan while he worked side by side with the man from Eichen House, the two of them moving the bodies rather quickly and rather efficiently. She didn't have to wait too long before Jordan was finished and when he climbed back inside, she relaxed in her seat and let out a giggle.

"What's so funny?" Jordan looked right at her, catching her eye. She reached a hand out and set it on his thigh, giving it a rough squeeze before leaning across the seat and resting her head on his shoulder.

"Adventures with you are awesome." She remarked. "I think we should have them more often."

"Yeah well this adventure isn't over and things could still go very, very wrong."

"I think so long as I don't wind up locking myself in a closet, then it'll be fun." Ryan joked and Jordan finally cracked a smile. She cocked her head sideways, wondering why he suddenly found the idea of her in a closet amusing considering the last time he had brought it up, he had been stating how terrifying the whole situation had been for him. "What?"

"Well see, if you were in a closet, and I was there with you, then we could be practicing for our next kid."

She sucked in a breath, held it for a few seconds and let out a loud bark of laughter as he started pulling away from the overhead door. He shook his head at her but kept on driving until he was a ways away from the building, then he pulled in a little ways away from the guard's building.

"You think there's going to be a next kid?" She gaped. "I say maybe, if this one turns out to be a hellhound, just like you, then I'm getting my tubes tied and that'll be the end of that."

He shook his head at her and finalized his parking job before throwing the van into park and turning it off so as not to attract anymore unwanted attention. They were just supposed to sit and wait for Scott, which gave them plenty of opportunity to talk and currently the topic was on having more kids.

"What if this one _isn't_ a hellhound though?" Jordan asked and looked over at her, the conversation taking a serious turn. She took in his words and considered them but didn't know exactly how she wanted to answer. The idea of more kids hadn't really occurred to her, in fact, her current pregnancy hadn't been planned, but would having more kids with Jordan be something that she might want in the future?

"I don't know." She shrugged. "I never really thought about it too much."

"I guess that's fair." Jordan replied calmly.

"What were you thinking?" She questioned and he turned his head to face her more directly, studying the anxious expression on her face. Did he really want more kids? Did he want to be a father to three?

"I don't know either." Jordan confessed and Ryan let out a sigh. "I've never had a baby, I don't know what to expect."

Ryan nodded her understanding and found her mind wandering to the first little bit with Cole. Kylie wasn't a hard baby, not by a long shot, but Cole had struggled a lot for the first while. Eventually he had gotten the hang of it and Kylie had quickly grown to adore the man, but she knew how difficult it had been for him to adjust to having a newborn to look after.

Learning to feed her, learning how to properly change her diaper, learning how to take care of her, all the while still going to work every day and protecting the town. Cole had taken it all on and he had pretty much mastered everything, but Ryan knew that he had a tough time learning. It hadn't just come to him, it had taken Cole a lot of time, a lot of trial and error, before he had finally gotten the routine down to a fine art.

Things with Jordan would be different, especially if he was a supernatural creature who tended to black out and steal dead bodies without being able to remember a thing.

"You'll be a good dad." Ryan murmured. "We make a good team."

Jordan tipped his head from side to side, considering her words and accepting them for what they were: reassurances. She was already a great mom, she'd continue to be a great mom with their baby, and together they'd have a family, a _real_ family that he'd be able to come home to day after day and spend time with.

"I think so too." Jordan bowed his head and finally dug out his cell phone, his mind drifting slightly. When he looked at the screen though, and spotted the big white numbers reading 7:50:37, he sucked in a breath and held it. Turning the screen towards her so that she could get a better look, he caught sight of movement from behind the van.

Ducking down in his seat, he gave Ryan's leg a gentle tap and she did the same, trying desperately to stay out of the guard's line of sight. She caught sight of the flashlight beams reflecting of the side mirror and when she took a peak in the reflective surface, she counted the guards and made a mental note that there were now four of them, each and every one of them with their sights locked on the van.

"What do we do?" Ryan hissed and Jordan lifted a finger up to his lips, signalling for her to stay quiet. "Jordan."

"Just stay quiet and don't move." He whispered to her and she blew out a breath, tipping her head back and shutting her eyes. She was trying to stay calm but the longer the guards stayed behind the van, the more anxious she became and after a few seconds of what she was hoping were calming breaths, she opened her eyes and looked over at Jordan..

She reached her hand out and grabbed his wrist, Jordan gazing back at her and trying to convey with just his eyes that everything was going to be fine. She just had to keep still and remain quiet, they had to be inconspicuous, they had to not be found out.

The guards muffled voices barely made it to the van and Ryan let a shiver run down her spine as she considered all of the consequences of their plan. There were so many things that could go wrong, so many unknowns that she wasn't aware of and the longer they sat in the van, the more likely it was they were going to be caught.

She chanced a look into the mirror and made a mental note that the guards were backing off, spreading out and heading back to their posts, which meant that they were leaving the van alone. Jordan reluctantly freed his arm from her grasp and set his hands on the steering wheel, waiting for the situation to blow over. Ryan leaned towards him and prayed that everything inside was going smoothly. At that moment, all she wanted to do was get out of there, get Kylie and go home.

"Jordan." She whined and looked up at his face, but she didn't see the eyes belonging to the man she loved, instead, she say glowing orange irises.

Jordan's head snapped upwards, his fists clenched on the steering wheel and without warning, he pushed the door open and climbed down to the ground, planting his feet on the asphalt below. He took a few steps towards the building, towards the still open overhead door, but before he could make it through the opening, his entire body burst into flames.

Covering her mouth, she muffled her cry of surprise and scrambled out of the van to follow him. She needed to know what he was doing, she needed to know that he was going to be okay.

The flames died down a little bit once he stepped inside but Ryan, who was no more than ten feet away from him, took in the sight of Jordan in his nearly naked glory because the flames had burned away his uniform. She tried to keep herself calm as she followed him in through the door, then through the hallways and when he finally slowed down his pace, she shook her head and tried to pull herself together.

This wasn't happening, it couldn't be real, but she could feel the heat radiating off of him even from the distance she was behind him. Jordan clearly wasn't himself and she wasn't about to call out to him in case she drew unwanted attention to either of them. He continued making his way down the hallways, turning left and right and every which way, until she knew they were the in basement of the building, most likely in the closed unit, which is where she remembered them saying Lydia was being held.

Was that where he was going? Was he on his way to Lydia? If that was the case, what exactly had happened to send him into his trancelike state? Was he going in to recover her dead body and take it like he had with the others?

Ryan just kept hot on his trail and when Jordan approached a worn out, white metal gate, she tucked herself into the corner, not knowing what he was about to do. Surely he couldn't just break through the gate, could he? Was he that strong? Or did he have some other trick up his sleeve?

Ryan looked past the gate though and locked her eyes on a small group of people, no wait, those were teenagers, and one of them looked an awful lot like Theo Raeken. She shook her head and said a silent prayer that she and her baby wouldn't end up hurt, then she took a step around the corner and stood back as Jordan lifted his hands up and slammed them against the gate.

"Jordan don't!" She called out to him but he hadn't heard her. He was still tranced out and there wasn't anything that she could do to bring him back, not even the sounds of the sirens were enough to break him out of his own head. "Fuck!"

She was reduced to watching as Jordan let out a ferocious, guttural growl and leaned against the metal gate. Ryan had her eyes glued on his form, the flames erupting from his hands- no wait, were those paws- and before she had a chance to slip back off to the side and hide behind the corner, the top of the gate bent forward and Jordan surged ahead. The gate collapsed to the ground in a melted heap and Jordan continued to growl and roar.

Ryan held her breath and shook her head, utterly confused as to what she was supposed to do now. Jordan was heading right for Theo and the others, and she was standing a good ten feet behind him in the hallway, exposed to all sorts of danger simply because she hadn't wanted him out of her sight. What the hell had she been thinking?

It wasn't like she hadn't known that things were dangerous inside Eichen House, the entire building had given her the heebie jeebies, but this was something completely out of left field. Theo Raeken, Lydia Martin, what the hell was going on and why was Jordan some sort of flame covered monster?

"Jordan!" She called out to him with the hopes that maybe she could stop whatever was about to happen. Jordan merely continued to growl and roar, flames still licking at his skin, but he seemed completely unaware of the heat at all. Ryan could feel it all the way down the hall and she was trying not to freak out at the scene unfolding in front of her.

Theo ducked out of the hallway and reappeared with Lydia Martin in his grasp. Ryan watched as he placed his hands, complete with claws (were those really claws) around her neck? What the hell?

She threw her hands up into the air and sucked in a deep breath, feeling the hot air traveling down into her lungs, leaving her fighting off the choking sensation that it caused. She let her arms fall back down and leaned against the wall, hoping that she could come up with some sort of plan, and soon.

One thing she knew for sure was that she didn't want to get in between Jordan and Theo's little group.

"Back off." Theo called out to him, Ryan leveling her eyes with Theo.

He seemed to grip the girl's neck harder and as much as Ryan hated to admit that she didn't want to see Lydia get hurt, she knew that this was a whole new level. Theo wasn't messing around.

Tracy, the same Tracy that had killed her psychiatrist all those nights ago in the hospital, dropped the man that she had been holding against the wall, a man that Ryan had barely even noticed until this point.

"I said back off." Theo demanded, Ryan shaking her head in confusion.

What was _she_ supposed to do? What the hell was she, a simple human, supposed to do against this group of superhuman teenagers?

Theo's claws went a little deeper into Lydia's skin, blood visibly dripping down her neck, and Ryan let out a whimper. This was too much, _way_ too much for her to handle. Ryan felt her back against the stone wall behind her and when her legs started to give out, she let her body fall slowly to the floor.

Turning her head towards the commotion, she made a mental note that Jordan _had_ actually stopped moving. He was still as he remained standing in the middle of the hallway and she wondered what he was doing.

Was he turning back into _her_ Jordan or had he realized that Theo wasn't playing around? Ryan turned her body so that she was on her knees and she lifted herself up, off the floor before daring to take a few steps closer so that she could get a better look at what was going on, which is precisely when she spotted a familiar face peeking through a pane of glass behind Theo.

Stiles? Was that Stiles? Oh come on, why did Stiles have to be here, why did Stiles, the only other person that was truly human in the surrounding area, have to be holding it together better than her? At least Ryan had faith that Jordan wouldn't hurt _her_ and he was the thing standing between Theo and her. She should've felt a little safer than she did, but she wasn't going to relax, not until everyone she even remotely cared about was out of Eichen House, and ultimately out of immediate danger.

"Take him." Theo commanded.

"The guy's on fire." One of his friend's retorted.

"You'll heal, do it." Theo didn't seem to care about Jordan's fire suit, hell, maybe he knew something that she didn't. It was very possible, he was clearly involved in the supernatural whereas she had only been introduced to it fairly recently.

Without warning, Tracy broke out into a run and headed right for Jordan, Ryan letting out an ear piercing shriek as Tracy's claws were driven into Jordan's chest. He, however, seemed unaffected by her attempts and merely looked down to where she had tried to connect a blow and let out a feral growl.

Ryan narrowed her eyes at the sight of Tracy flying across the hallway, away from Jordan, and witnessing her body crumple to the ground. Okay, maybe Jordan could handle himself, after all, he _had_ been a solider overseas. Ryan figured that she should give him a little more credit.

The next kid in Theo's gang rushed to the side of the hallway and broke off a piece of the thin metal pipe attached to the wall. A wire erupted out of it and the kid grabbed it, blue sparks flowing over him as he spun towards Jordan, using his fingers and nabbing Jordan's shoulder. The electricity seemed to flow through them both but Ryan stayed silent, watching with gross fascination as neither one of them seemed to be getting hurt.

Jordan, once again, looked down at where the kid had connected with him, almost curious to see what he was doing. Ryan pictured it maybe tickling Jordan, but it clearly wasn't even slowing him down. The more she watched on, the more she found herself utterly confused about everything that she already knew. Beacon Hills was a weird place, stranger than she could've ever imagined, yet it was still her home.

"Theo, this isn't working." The kid hollered, his hand still on Jordan's shoulder.

"Let go." Ryan muttered and shook her head as Jordan reared back and slammed his open palm against the kid's chest, sending his back into the wall just a few feet away. "Stupid."

The kid fell down to the floor and before Ryan could get a handle on what the hell was going to happen next, she heard a mechanical sound and watched as Theo's legs buckled from underneath him. Lydia was sent forward, landing on her hands and knees, and when the sound stopped, she watched the older man she didn't recognize slam the butt end of a drill into Theo's face.

"Sorry Theo, but I'm not done with her yet." The man announced and surged forward. Ryan debated matching his movements but even if she wanted to, she wouldn't get to Lydia in time. The man wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up at the same time that Jordan lifted the electrified kid off the floor before slamming him right back onto the cold, hard, concrete covered ground.

"Jordan!" Ryan barked and took one more hesitant step towards him, feeling the heat getting stronger the closer that she moved. "Stop! They're just kids!"

At the conclusion of her statement, the youngest most innocent looking guy that had been with Theo ran at Jordan, grabbing his wrist before he could hit the electrified kid. Jordan's head turned sideways just enough for Ryan to catch a glimpse of his face, his eyes were glowing orange and his teeth were more canine than human. His entire body was blackened and looked more like stone than skin, reddish vein like entities traveled over his body, giving him a volcano-esque look.

"Jordan!" She cried out to him but it was too late, his eyes locked onto the young kid and fresh flames erupted from his hand.

The kid cried out in a horrific amount of pain and Ryan turned her back to the entire scene, trying to run back as far as possible before he exploded.

She felt the wave of heat pass over her, the kid's screams growing louder before she heard the sickening thud and chanced a glance back at Jordan, who had apparently thrown the kid backward. She spotted him squirming on top of someone else and immediately recognized that person as Stiles.

No! No not Stiles! She prayed that he was smart enough not to get in Jordan's way, especially after he had obviously just witnessed the same carnage as she had.

When Ryan looked around though, she spotted the older man hauling Lydia away from everyone, but it was Theo's movements that really caught her eye. He stumbled to get to his feet, reached down and nabbed the broken piece of pipe and threw it, just like a javelin, right in Jordan's direction.

Her eyes widened in fear and she stood frozen in place as the thin tube of metal lodged itself right in Jordan's chest. He dropped to his knees and his body seemed to cool down at the impact, but that didn't sate her worries at all, if anything, she was more concerned.

She didn't even think about what she was doing as she ran right for Jordan, dropping down to her knees next to him just in time to watch his orange glowing eyes flicker and return to their usual colour. Was this Jordan dying? Had Theo hurt him that bad?

"Hey, hey, look at me." She commanded and when she tried to touch the metal rod, she immediately felt the searing heat against her palm. "God dammit!"

Ryan tried to gather up enough of her shirt that she'd be able to grab the rod again but before she had a chance to even make an attempt, the metal pipe simply fell away from his chest, landing on the floor with a clink. Jordan leaned forward, collapsing against her, and she spotted the other end of the pipe on the floor behind him.

"Ry." He pleaded, his voice laced with pain. "Run."

She could feel the heat radiating off his body and as quickly as she could, she gently laid him down on the ground and ran her fingers over his chest. She could vaguely hear Stiles' frantic voice calling out for Lydia but she was too focused on Jordan to care what was going on behind her.

"Get up." Ryan pleaded. "I'm not leaving you here."

Jordan's head rolled sideways and she squeezed her eyes shut at the feeling of hot tears forming in her eyes. She wasn't going to leave him here; she wasn't going to just walk away from him simply because he was hurt. Ryan immediately pressed two fingers to the side of his neck and felt a faint pulse, which caused her to let out a soft sob. He was alive, he was still alive, which meant that it all came down to her to get them both out of there.

Leaning over him, she pressed a sweet kiss against his lips and then jumped to her feet. Bending down, she grabbed on to his hands and tugged on his arms, desperately trying to pull him out of the hallway. If she could just get him somewhere a little bit safer, then maybe she could figure out how to help him.

Each step was a struggle as she dragged his body away from the carnage but she knew that it would all be worth it if she could just help Jordan stay alive.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

 ** _So Ryan has joined them in their Eichen House adventure, do you think that was a good idea on her part?_**


	80. Chapter 80

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary:_ _One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 _ **Chapter 80** **:**_

Her entire body was aching by the time she managed to get Jordan's unconscious form somewhere that felt a little safer than the dimly lit tunnels. She thanked god that there were a few stairs that she could rest him on but when she looked upwards, she spotted way more stairs, and way more floors to the building, than she had been anticipating. There were way too many floors for her to count and she shook her head, feeling totally overwhelmed within the walls of Eichen House.

Her focus, at this point, was to get Jordan to wake up.

His form was slumped against the bottom few stairs and she ran her hand over his chest, feeling for anything that was out of the ordinary while also making sure that he wasn't still obviously injured. Aside from the charring on his skin, she couldn't find anything, which meant that Jordan had healed himself, right?

"You're reckless." She muttered and pushed a little harder against his sternum, feeling the hard bone where the pipe had hit completely intact. "I hope you know that."

Ryan let out a soft sigh and leaned against the wall next to him, trying to catch her own breath. Lugging him as far as she did had wiped her out and, now more than ever, she was looking forward to getting the hell out of Eichen and into her own bed.

Tipping her head back, she stole another look up at the seemingly never-ending stairs. A small whimper escaped her at the thought of having to walk up each and every one but Ryan wasn't planning on doing that unless she absolutely had to. In her head, she would wait for Jordan to come to, then she'd try to get them both back to the morgue and outside to the van.

"Parrish?"

Ryan's whole body jerked and she looked straight ahead, locking her eyes onto Scott and Liam. Boy were they a sight for sore eyes and without fail, a small, tired smile took over her face.

"He's out." She answered and carefully made her way to her feet. Scott and Liam closed the distance between them and Scott crouched down next to Jordan, resting his hand on his side. Ryan watched in awe as Scott's veins turned black momentarily, and before she had a chance to ask him what he was doing, Jordan let out a barely audible moan.

"Parrish? Parrish." Scott called out softly to the fallen deputy and Ryan kept her eyes locked onto him, waiting for him to respond. Scott pulled his hand away but nudged him instead. "Parrish. Parrish, hey. Can you hear me?"

"Jordan?" Ryan threw in and crossed her arms over her chest, hoping for the best possible outcome. He was alive, she knew that much, but maybe he wasn't necessarily _okay._ "Please?"

Scott nudged him again and this time Jordan's body jerked under the pressure before his eyes fluttered open. He looked up at Scott, with a confused expression, then he looked over at her, his eyes widening as he locked his gaze with Ryan's. Before he could say a word though, he proceeded to look around, clearly confused as to where they all were. Part of Ryan wondered what the last thing he remembered could possibly be but she didn't want any confirmations of them being in the van being the last thing he could recall.

"How did I get here?" Jordan asked, running his hand over his chest.

"We don't know, we just followed the burning smell." Liam answered and Ryan snorted at his reply. "What?"

"You don't know?" She narrowed her eyes in on him, Liam shrugging in response. "Me, it was _me._ I dragged him all the way here."

Jordan's eyes widened in shock but he clenched his fist and looked down at his hand, seeing blood and ash covering his palm. She shook her head at them all and let out a frustrated huff.

"Okay, it was her." Liam jerked a thumb in Ryan's direction.

"Damn right it was." She grumbled and took a step away from them. "Stupid werewolves don't think I can lug a grown man-"

"Ryan." Jordan cut her off and she glanced over her shoulder to meet his eyes. "Thank you."

She nodded her head at him but remained standing exactly where she was. Liam shot her an apologetic look but she merely stuck her tongue out at him: juvenile, of course but she didn't really know what else to do.

"Parrish, listen, Eichen's in lockdown." Scott stated and Jordan glanced upwards, taking in the sight of the too many stairs. "There's no way for us to get out unless Plan B works."

"Plan B? What's Plan B?" Jordan asked, looking between the two boys, who then proceeded to look at each other. Ryan rolled her eyes at them and wondered what _her_ best bet was to get the hell out of there. If the whole place was in lockdown, what did that mean for her 'simple' idea of getting to the morgue and getting out?

She didn't need to think about it for too long because she knew that lockdown meant no one was getting in or _out_ until it was lifted.

"Don't worry about it. Right now, we need you to find Lydia." Scott explained.

"What?" Ryan spun around on her heels and glared at the alpha werewolf. "Find her? I watched her get taken by some old guy!"

"Me?" Jordan asked, stealing a glance at Ryan and tipping his head to the side in an attempt to get her to calm down. When he finally caught her eye, he looked back up at Scott, keeping his eyes trained on him. "But how do I-"

"Actually, not completely you, we kind of need the other you." Liam interjected, drawing Jordan's attention over to the younger boy. Ryan let out a growl from behind them but no one seemed to be paying her any attention.

"The Hellhound." Scott threw out and Jordan locked his eyes right back on Scott, a worried expression etched on his face.

"Fuck that." Ryan growled and threw her hands into the hair. "How do you expect him to just morph? Do you know something that we don't know because as far as I'm concerned, he can't just control it!"

"Actually, there is _one_ way that I think might work." Scott answered calmly. "But I don't think you're going to like it."

"Try me." Ryan narrowed her eyes in on him but Scott didn't flinch. Jordan leaned forward and reached a hand out towards Ryan, who quickly moved closer to him, dropping her arms away from her chest so that he could grab hold and slip his fingers through hers. "What is it?"

"We light him up." Liam stated and flinched as she glared at him. "Hey, Scott said you wouldn't like."

"Do it." Jordan piped up and pulled on Ryan's hand, drawing her down to the floor next to him. She sat against his side and whimpered at the thought of the two boys lighting Jordan on fire. "Just do it."

"If you're sure." Scott offered up with a shrug.

Ryan kept her eyes on Jordan and when the two boys set out to figure out a way to light him on fire, she let out a frustrated sigh. Were they really just going to set the guy on fire? Was it going to work? What if it didn't, what if just ended up burning him alive instead of bringing out the hellhound?

"Haigh did it before." Jordan murmured and Ryan let her eyes fall shut, remembering the night that he had come home covered in ash after his own partner had tried to kill him by lighting him, and his cruiser, on fire. "I didn't die."

"This is different." She tried to argue but she knew that she didn't sound very convincing. "This is terrifying to me, do you get that?"

"I do." He nodded his head and stole a quick look up at the two boys, who were rooting around on the shelves behind them. "And I'm sorry."

She sucked in a breath and pressed a kiss against the side of his jaw, "if you die, I'm going to kill you."

A small smile spread across his lips and he nudged Ryan away from him, silently signaling that she needed to get away from him so that the boys could light him on fire without harming her. She scrambled to her feet and took up a stance behind Scott as Liam grabbed hold of some sort of aerosol can before tossing it over to Scott.

Popping the lid off, Scott lined the tip of the canister up with the lighter that Liam held in front of him. Ryan stole a look at Jordan, who was curled into a ball, his chest heaving and a fierce expression on his face.

"I love you." Ryan said softly and he looked up at her.

"I love you too." Jordan replied and sucked in a nervous breath, turning his attention to the two boys standing over him. "Do it!"

Scott hesitated for a quick second but pushed down on the aerosol can. Ryan squeezed her eyes shut but felt the blast of heat as it erupted from the can, through the lighter flame and doused Jordan in fire. She sucked in a breath, felt the burning sensation in her throat and opened her eyes.

Jordan was covered in flames, his skin was turning black again and he had the same volcanic appearance that he had while he had taken on Theo and his friends. Huh, well, okay, he wasn't dead, at least she could breathe easy at that thought, but then again, the night was far from over. Bad things could still very easily happen and so many people could wind up hurt, her and Jordan included.

"What now?" Ryan quipped and Liam turned his attention towards her, forcing a reassuring smile onto his face.

"We follow him." Liam answered.

Jordan made his way to his feet and Ryan fought off the urge to throw her hands up in frustration. This entire night was just one big fat mess and all she wanted to do was go home, to see her baby girl and her father, and then climb into bed and sleep until the sun came up the next morning. When she had agreed to join Jordan in the transport van, she definitely hadn't anticipated actually going into Eichen House and especially not heading deep into the Closed Unit where they had apparently been keeping Lydia.

"Follow him to Lydia? You mean, he's just going to lead us right to her?" Ryan asked and Jordan, who was stable on his feet, began moving in the direction that Ryan had literally just dragged him from. All of her hard work, all of the heavy lifting she had done, was seemingly for nothing.

"That's the idea." Scott nodded and took off after Jordan, Liam hesitating long enough to give Ryan a rough slap on her shoulder before he followed Scott's lead.

She remained where she was standing and took a look around, debating what her options were. She didn't really want to stay all by herself in Eichen House, so without putting it off any longer, she took off after the three guys with the hopes that they weren't walking into their deaths.

She managed to catch up to them and Liam slowed his pace so that she wouldn't be left behind. Scott maintained his position between Jordan and Liam, creating a sort of barrier in case something went awry with their half-assed plan. She appreciated Scott's concern about keeping her safe, but she still held on to the idea that Jordan, even in his tranced out state, wouldn't hurt her.

The hallways were dark and warm because of Jordan's body but Ryan was undeterred. The sooner they found Lydia, the sooner they could get out of Eichen, of course though, that part depended on the lockdown being over and as far as she knew, it was still very much in effect.

"What if he's not actually leading us to Lydia?" Ryan asked in a whisper, hoping that one of the boys could reassure her that they knew exactly how hellhounds worked. "What if he's just leading us into a trap where we're all going to die?"

"I don't think so." Liam answered calmly and she snorted at him. He 'didn't think' that they were being led into a trap, well, what _did_ he know? "If Scott says this is the way, then I have faith that he's right."

"But what if he's _wrong_?" She hissed.

"He's not." Liam shook his head. "Don't worry, okay?"

She didn't bother arguing any more with the youngster, she didn't have the energy left to fight a battle she didn't figure she'd be winning any time soon. Liam had faith in Scott and so far, he hadn't steered her wrong either, but that didn't help her relax at all. The whole night was just one big, chaotic mess, and Ryan didn't want to stick around in case it somehow got even messier.

"What if he lights the place on fire though?" Ryan pressed and Liam shook his head no. "It's possible, he's covered in fire."

"Not at this exact moment he's not." Liam pointed out matter-of-factly and Ryan rolled her eyes at him. No, he wasn't covered in fire at that exact second but she had witnessed him attack a kid, nearly burning all of his skin right off. She didn't know exactly how he had survived but she chalked it up to him being just another supernatural creature.

"Fine." She sighed and the two of them took a few quick steps to catch up with Scott.

Scott had his eyes locked on Jordan, as did Ryan and Liam, but he was a little bit closer to the hellhound. Ryan felt anxious being back down in the dim hallways but she wasn't going to say anything more about it, she was going to stick with the two boys and follow Jordan until they either managed to find Lydia or until they found an exit that she could slip out.

"Parrish?" Scott called out to Jordan, breaking the silence that had fallen over them again. Jordan seemed to be approaching an open gate, much like the one he had melted earlier, but this was definitely somewhere that she hadn't been yet tonight.

The gate was wide open though, which meant that someone had been here before and she just hoped that that someone was friendly.

"How's he going to get through the mountain ash?" Liam piped up and with his question, he seemed to reassure Ryan that the people who had come through the gate earlier were friendly. She could assume that it had been Scott and Liam, maybe this was the part of the plan that they had needed Stiles for, maybe that's why the three boys had been split up and maybe that was why Stiles had been down near Lydia when she had witnessed Jordan take out all of Theo's little friends.

"What's mountain ash do?" Ryan questioned in a low tone.

"It keeps supernatural creatures from crossing through." Liam answered her quickly and she watched on as Jordan didn't even flinch as he walked right through the open gate.

His body lit up with bright orange flames and as he passed through the opening, the flames turned from red and orange to a bright, vibrant blue, apparently burning hotter than they had mere seconds ago. The flames traveled all across the gate and when they flickered out, Jordan didn't even bother stopping.

He was still in a trance, he was still on the trail of what they were all hoping was Lydia.

Scott stopped just in front of them and lifted his palms out, pushing his hands through the opening in the gate and turning his attention to Liam.

"What?" Ryan snipped.

"There _was_ a mountain ash barrier in this doorway." Liam explained and she raised an eyebrow in question.

"He's burning it right out of the walls." Scott added in, his voice as soft as the rest of theirs.

Ryan didn't bother responding, instead she tried to accept the vague explanation and surged ahead as Scott continued to lead them down the hallway. A few more twists and a lot more turns later, the lights got dimmer and the smell of burning increased, but Ryan didn't know what that meant.

She had been in Eichen House for far too long and her nerves were shot, her body was exhausted and her mind was drained. She didn't have time to complain, or protest, because before she could lay her eyes on the girl in question, she heard her, she heard Lydia's voice and she swore it was coming from the room just ahead of them.

"Stiles, run!" Lydia yelled and Ryan froze in her position a few feet away from the opening to the room.

Her eyes widened as Stiles was launched backwards by Jordan's force, colliding with Scott, the two of them meeting the wall in front of the door before Lydia started to shriek.

Covering her ears, Ryan dropped to the floor and cowered against the nearest wall, praying that this was it, this was what they had all been aiming for, but when the shrieking nearly busted her ear drums, she shivered and squeezed her eyes shut, feeling the building shaking with the same force as an earthquake could produce. Chunks of the walls and ceiling rained down on them all but none of them were big enough to cause harm. When the shaking subsided, she still didn't dare move, not yet.

A blast of heat, followed by a wave of sheer force, erupted from the room and Ryan felt her entire body take the brunt of the energy wave. The air was sucked out of her lungs, she brought her legs up against her chest and she dared to pull her hands away from her ears, only to hear a rather loud ringing sound all around her. Liam appeared in front of her and when he offered her his hand, she latched on as though he was her lifeline and she was drowning.

"You okay?" Liam asked, his voice sounding more muffled than usual, but nonetheless she _could_ hear him. Well that was certainly a good sign, at least she hadn't gone deaf.

"Yeah." She nodded her head hesitantly.

Hauling her to her feet, he took a quick look over her body, making sure she wasn't visibly injured, then he turned his attention back to Scott and Stiles, who were huddled together in front of a giant cloud of smoke. She managed to stay standing up and took up a stance just off to the side from the group of boys.

Together, they all watched the smoke begin to dissipate and when Jordan appeared, carrying a limp Lydia in his arms, Ryan blew out a sigh of relief. He had survived the blast, he had made it out alive!

"Where to?" Jordan asked and scanned over the faces of everyone who was looking at him. His gaze lingered on Ryan and she lifted her hand up before giving him a thumbs up, silently letting him know that she was fine, even if she didn't quite feel as normal as she had before the room in front of them had- what exactly had happened? Was it an explosion, did it have something to do with Jordan, or even Lydia?

"This way." Scott answered and waved him in the direction that they had all just come from. "Come on."

"Stay with her." Jordan nodded his head towards Ryan and Stiles sidled up next to her, but the two of them took off after Scott and Jordan, Liam bounding ahead of them all and taking over the lead.

She didn't know how they knew where to go, or where they even planned on coming out of, but she wasn't going to question them this time, she was going to be a good soldier and stay in line. Stiles maintained a pace the same as hers and she struggled to keep her legs from collapsing, the blast having turned her limbs into goo.

They ran and ran, and ran, until Liam pulled farther ahead, moving quicker than all of them. She wanted to call out to him, to express her concern over what he was doing, but her lungs were burning from the heat wave, and from already having been running for way longer than she would've liked.

"There's a gate up ahead." Liam announced and nearly bounced around the next corner.

"What about Mason?" Scott shot back.

"He's on it, trust me." Liam countered and without fail, she could just barely make out the sounds of metal against metal, almost as if the gates that had once been keeping them locked inside were now going back to their original, non-lockdown positions.

"What's- what's happening?" She heard Lydia's small voice and her heart pounded harder against her chest. She wanted to be near Jordan, she wanted him to be worrying about her. She didn't want Lydia to die but she certainly wanted Jordan's attention to be on her instead.

"Plan B." Jordan said and glanced back at Ryan. She nearly tumbled to the ground at his gaze but managed to keep herself upright, forcing a smile onto her face in an attempt to reassure him that she was just fine. She had to be fine, at least until they got out of Eichen House.

"Liam, slow down." Scott commanded and Liam took another sharp turn, throwing himself further ahead of them.

"Liam, wait!" Stiles called out and stole a quick look sideways at Ryan. She waved him forward and Stiles left her at the end of the line by herself.

Liam launched himself at the gate in front of them, the very gate that was stopping them from going any further, but he didn't seem the slightest bit concerned. He grabbed onto either side of the seam and after a few, hardly dangerous, sparks erupted from his grip, he made quick work of separating the two sides.

"I told you." Liam said, clearly very proud of himself, and his friend on the outside. Everyone in front of her took off in a mad dash but Ryan slowed her pace down, pressing her palm against her abdomen and trying to fill her lungs with enough air so that she could make the final leg of the sprint.

Squeezing through the open gate, she followed them but lagged behind and when they reached a ladder against the side of the hallway up ahead, she stopped running completely and walked the rest of the distance that had gotten between her and the rest of the group.

She came up behind Jordan and watched as everyone else climbed up the ladder, making it out through some grate and standing above them. He reached up and tried to hand Lydia up to Scott, who nabbed her hands with ease and pulled her up to join the crew on the surface. Jordan set his hand on Ryan's lower back and ushered her up to the ladder but she paused at the base of it.

"You okay?" Jordan asked in a whisper.

"I guess." She shrugged. She stepped up onto the ladder and began climbing, Jordan right behind her and together, the two of them made their way out of the dreary, dark tunnels below the road and out onto the sidewalk in front of Eichen House.

Once they were out, Jordan took Lydia out of Scott's arms and everyone watched as he set the grate back over the opening they had all just come out of.

"Have we tried letting her stand on her own?" Ryan questioned and waved her hand in Lydia's direction. "Maybe she can handle that?"

"Can you stand?" Jordan directed the question at Lydia and then proceeded to set her feet on the ground, letting her lean against him for support. He tossed a look in Ryan's direction and caught the curious gaze on his girlfriend's face but before he could let Lydia try standing all on her own, a jeep pulled up in front of them.

Kira and Malia hopped out of the jeep and came around the vehicle to stand in front of the group, Malia's gaze lingering on Lydia.

"Is she okay?" Malia inquired.

"No, we need to go. Give me the keys, we got to get her to the clinic." Scott answered frantically.

Ryan took a step off to the side, giving the group a little bit of space while also trying to gather her own thoughts. She moved out of the way in time to watch Jordan be shoved forward, his chest colliding with the jeep and deep, red scratches forming on his back. Jordan let out a grunt from the force of the jeep against his chest and Ryan made a move to step towards him, to make sure that he was okay.

"Jor-"

"Sorry, but she's coming with me." Tracy cut her off and nabbed Lydia away from the others. She rested her hand, complete with menacing claws, on Lydia's stomach and held her flush against her chest.

"Okay Tracy, just wait, you don't know what's about to happen." Scott was pleading and Ryan stepped closer to Jordan, helping him as Liam came up on his other side and managed to get him to his feet.

"I'm taking her, that's what's happening." Tracy retorted. "And none of are you going to do a thing-"

The sound of the electricity flowing through the girl was loud and Tracy collapsed sideways, landing on the sidewalk with a thud. Ryan shook her head, slipped her arms around Jordan's middle and took in the sight of Miss Martin standing there with an electrified baton.

"Could somebody please get my daughter out of this hellhole?" Miss Martin commanded.

"We're trying lady." Ryan muttered but Scott and Stiles were quick to get Lydia into the jeep, Scott in the driver's side while Stiles sat next to Lydia in the backseat. The girls, plus Liam, took off to the left, Miss Martin took off to the right and Ryan stayed standing exactly where she was, Jordan leaning against her so that he didn't just fall over.

"Can we please go home?" Ryan whimpered.

"Yes." Jordan nodded. "Come on, let's get back to the van."

Unless something happened to them between where they stood at that moment and the spot where they had left the van, then Ryan and Jordan were home free. She let him use her as a crutch, even though she was tired, sore and about ready to fall over herself, while they started their trek back to the transport van.

It had been a long night and Ryan was ready to climb into her bed.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Thoughts?_**


	81. Chapter 81

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary:_ _One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 _ **Chapter 81** **:**_

He hung back in the driveway, watching carefully as Ryan mounted the front steps to her father's house. Jordan wasn't entirely confident in himself at that moment and even if they had managed to scrounge together an outfit for him that would have to do until they got home, he still felt a little off his game.

The entire night had started out alright, him and Ryan in the van having a relatively nice conversation, and then the next thing he remembered after that was being dragged to the stairwell. Ryan had pulled him from the hallways all the way to the stairs without complaint and he hadn't remembered any of the journey, except for the part where they arrived. From that point forward, things blurred in and out.

He could picture himself walking through the hallways, the same hallways that she had dragged him from, and he could vaguely remember being drawn to Lydia but the thing that he remembered as clear as day was walking out of a puff of smoke carrying a nearly limp Lydia in his arms. What the hell had happened up until that point and had Ryan been unharmed?

So far she hadn't said anything to suggest otherwise but he knew her well, even if she was hurt, it wasn't like she'd mention it, unless it was far too much for her to handle on her own. Jordan shook his head and sucked in a breath before he climbed out of the car and headed up the driveway, meeting Ryan at the front door before she had a chance to head inside. His arm banded around her waist and she let out a soft sigh before leaning against him, basking in the feeling of him being right next to her.

"What an adventure." She murmured and rested her head on his shoulder. He peered down at her and noticed that her eyes had fallen shut and she had a relieved expression on her face. Was he relieved too? Yes, of course he was, it had been quite the adventure except Jordan was very much happy that it was over.

The idea of Ryan being in any sort of trouble bothered him and he hadn't anticipated _that_ much winging it when he had first approached her with the plan. In his mind, he had wanted to keep her right by his side for the entire night, but that hadn't worked out all that well. She had stuck with him though, she had been there every single second that he could recall, and for that, he was grateful. He just hoped that it didn't come at any cost to her health or wellbeing.

"You good?" Jordan quipped and watched her closely as she nodded her head yes, just enough for him to see. "We should get Kylie then and get you home to bed."

"That's the best thing you've said to me all night." Her lips turned up into a smile and she opened her eyes, pausing for a split second before reaching out and wrapping her fingers around the handle on the door.

Without any more words between them, Ryan pushed the door open and stepped inside, carefully gauging the inside of the house. She wasn't sure what to expect, it was late enough that Kylie would most likely be sleeping, but she didn't know how easily her father would give in to the little girls pleas of wanting to stay up later than normal, especially if Ryan was supposed to pick her up on their way home.

Wandering further into the house, she stuck right next to Jordan and sought out her father and her little girl. When she turned the corner and stepped into the living room, she couldn't help but smile at the sight of Kylie curled up against Ken's side, her eyes shut and her breathing even. She was wearing her pajamas and a pair of fluffy pink slippers, her teddy bear clutched against her chest.

When Ryan met her gather's gaze, he carefully lifted his one hand up and gave her a little wave, signaling that he had seen her, and he was glad that she had made it back to him in one piece. Ryan peeled herself away from Jordan and quickly closed the distance between her and Kylie, gingerly scooping her daughter up into her arms and hugging her against her chest. Kylie didn't wake up as Ryan readjusted her in her hold and before she could object, Ken rose up to his full height and slipped Kylie's discarded blanket around the little girl's shoulders, Ryan holding on to it so that it didn't just fall right to the floor.

"Was she good?" Ryan asked in a whisper and Ken smiled at her in response.

"She was." He nodded. "Did you two have fun on your little delivery date?"

Ryan had been rather vague when she had described the plan for the night. She had merely told her dad that she was going to be heading to Eichen House to drop off some of the bodies from the hospital because their morgue was too full. She hadn't mentioned sneaking in Scott and Liam, she didn't say a word about breaking Lydia out, she had left out all the important details and told him only what she had to.

"It was pretty uneventful." Ryan offered with a slight shrug, careful of Kylie's head, which resided against her shoulder. "The van stunk like nothing I've ever smelled before though, I know I use the expression 'it smelled like death' sometimes, but this was actually death. God dad, it was putrid."

"I can't even imagine how bad that would be." Ken teased and ran his hand down Kylie's blanket covered back. "You bringing her back here tomorrow morning, or did you have the sitter looking after her?"

Ryan considered his question for a second and even glanced back at Jordan. She often feared that her dad would grow tired or irritated at Ryan constantly dropping Kylie on him but she knew that if it ever got to that point that he'd say something.

"Do you mind watching her tomorrow?" Ryan asked softly and pressed a kiss against the side of Kylie's head. "If you'd rather not, I can drop her at the sitter's house."

"I'd love to watch her." Ken smiled and made a move to sit back down on the couch, hesitating before he did so. "You get that little princess home and to bed, then you get to bed too, hear me Ry?"

Ryan watched him as he lowered himself down and sat on the edge of the couch, peering up at her before scooting back and relaxing in the cushions. Ryan glanced back at Jordan before giving her father a nod of her head, signaling that she'd do exactly what she was told, even if she was a grown woman. She wasn't about to disobey her father, even if it had been something that she was opposed to, but this was an easy request, this was something she was already considering for herself.

"Will do dad." Ryan murmured and turned away from him, stepping back over to Jordan. Jordan lifted his hand up and shot Ken a friendly wave too, then together the two of them headed back for the front door, all the while Ryan held Kylie in her arms.

When they made it back outside to the car, which they had exchanged at the sheriff's station, Jordan popped open the back door and let Ryan buckle Kylie into her car seat. Without a word, he watched as she pressed a soft kiss against the sleeping girl's forehead, then she stood up and backed away from the car, letting Jordan shut the back door with Kylie inside.

Ryan turned to face him head on and she took her bottom lip in between her teeth in an anxious gesture, then she reached her hand out and took a gentle hold of his wrist, which was still covered in ash.

"We need to do something about your disappearing acts." She said softly and dropped her gaze down to look at her feet. "I wake up in the middle of the night and you're just gone, if you were even home when I went to bed at all."

"Sorry." Jordan replied, his tone just as soft as hers. "I wish I could tell you what I'm up to, or where I go, but I don't know."

"I know." She gave him a nod and daringly brought her eyes back up to meet his. There were tears building and Jordan felt his heart begin to pound at the sight of how truly upset she was at the whole situation. "It doesn't make it any easier though."

"I don't want you to follow me." Jordan stated. "I don't want to lead you into anything dangerous."

"I can accept that. Maybe there's something else we can do? What about a GPS tracker, we could put one of those on you." Ryan suggested and he swore he saw a bit of a sparkle in her eye. "Then I can sit in the safety of my own home and watch your movements on my phone or something."

"That's a good idea but uh, where would we put this tracker, I burn out of all my clothes." Jordan pointed out with a teasing smile. "And even if we _did_ come up with somewhere to put this GPS tracker, we'd have to make sure it can withstand flames."

Her face fell at his admission and she turned to steal a look into the backseat of the car. At the sight of a peacefully sleeping Kylie, Ryan let out a frustrated growl. All she wanted was to go to bed at night next to the man she loved, and wake up next to him in the morning. She didn't want him out running around on his own, nearly naked, no, she wanted him curled up with his arms around her, cuddling with her all through the night.

Was that too much to ask for?

"Well if I can't follow you, is there maybe someone who can?" Ryan pondered and lifted her one hand up, running her fingers along the side of his jaw. "Maybe we can ask the sheriff, or Scott?"

"Argent." Jordan threw the name out and Ryan stiffened in front of him. She studied his eyes and slowly broke out into a smile. "Chris Argent. I can call him and ask him if he'll watch me, follow me one night, to keep an eye out."

"And bring him into our house?" Ryan countered. "What exactly would this entail?"

Jordan ran his hand through her hair in a soothing manner before leaning down and pressing a quick kiss against her lips. When he pulled away, she maintained her gaze on him and waited for him to speak again, to explain to her what was running through his head.

"We _could_ bring him into the house, set him up by the front door so if I try to leave, he'll see me and follow me." Jordan explained. "Or I could ask him if he'd watch over me at my apartment some night, that way we can avoid any potential run ins with Kylie. I'd hate to see her react to having a strange man sitting in her house. If you don't like the idea, we don't have to do it, but I'd feel better knowing that I have someone watching my back, someone who's not you."

Ryan gave him a nod of understanding and leaned into him, resting her body against his. Jordan's arms came around her, holding her against him, and she let out a soft sigh.

"Can I see if we can't get Chris to agree to let me put a GPS tracker on _him,_ that way when he does end up following you, I know where the two of you are going?" She asked with a hopeful look on her face. "Because if I have to spend the night without you, I'm going to be worrying, you know that, right?"

"Could've guessed." Jordan smirked. "I'm sure I can ask him, I don't see why we can't come up with some sort of agreement. Maybe I'll ask him to call you, report back to you every once in a while, if you want? Since you're going to be worrying anyways that is."

"You think he'd go for that though?" Ryan asked. "To him, I'm nothing more than a nurse, I hardly know anything about the supernatural in comparison to everyone else involved, do you really think Chris Argent would be willing to do something like that for me?"

"It can't hurt to ask." Jordan said with a smile. "The worst he can say is no."

"Okay." Ryan nodded her head. "Okay then that's what we'll do."

"I'll call him when we get home then." Jordan suggested and Ryan merely nodded at him once again. She wasn't going to argue with him because the sooner she got home, the sooner she could go to bed and boy was she starting to feel the exhaustion kicking in.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Ryan carried Kylie, who was still sound asleep, up to the front of the house while Jordan led the way. He had the key ready and when they approached the front door, he unlocked it and pushed it open, ushering Ryan inside. As soon as the three of them were securely in the house, Jordan turned back and shut the door, making sure to throw the lock across, keeping any unwanted visitors outside for the night.

He watched as Ryan carefully flipped off her shoes, then he took Kylie from her hold, cradling the toddler against his chest and looking down at the peaceful expression on her sleeping face. Kylie was absolutely a beautiful child and he wouldn't trade her for anything, he loved her, he wanted her to treat him like he was part of the family and so far she was doing just that. She was good to him and he wanted to be good for her just as much, but that required him figuring out what the hell was going on.

He was a hellhound, he knew that much for sure, and he also knew that when there was a dead body, he took it, stole it right out from under everyone's noses to deposit it at the Nemeton. He couldn't remember taking _any_ of the bodies, but he knew that he was the one responsible, hell Ryan had a picture of him wandering away from the hospital with one of the bodies from the morgue. He was dangerous and he was a mystery, even to himself.

"I'm going to take her and put her in her bed." Ryan whispered and finished peeling off her jacket. She closed in on Jordan and gingerly scooped Kylie out of his arms, watching carefully to make sure she didn't wake up. Once she was settled in Ryan's hold, Jordan ran his hand over Kylie's back and sucked in a nervous breath. "Where were you planning to call Chris from?"

"I was thinking the bedroom, I want you to listen in." Jordan replied. "That way, you can stay in the loop without us leaving anything out."

Ryan nodded her head and headed for the stairs, making her way up them slowly. Jordan came up behind her and when he set his palm on her lower back, she let out a soft sigh. He was still right there with her, he was right behind her, and he wasn't hurt. The entire night within the walls of Eichen House had been pure hell for her. She had watched Jordan fall into one of his trances, she had followed him into the insane asylum though the morgue drop off, she had stood by idly and watched as he took down Theo Raeken and all of the people with him, and then she had dragged his limp body to the stairwell. All that had happened before everything had taken a turn for the worse too, there was so much more that occurred after that.

She had watched Scott and Liam set him on fire, yes, on _fire_ , and if that hadn't been scary enough, she had followed them all back down into the darkened hallways to get Lydia from some man who had run off with her to start with. There had been an explosion, or some sort of impact, and whether or not Ryan had been hurt didn't matter because she had watched Jordan disappear into a different room before the damage had occurred.

None of what had happened had been on her agenda, except for the easy part; the part where the two of them smuggled Scott and Liam into Eichen House via the transport van, which had also been filled with dead bodies. What the hell _had_ she been thinking?

As soon as the two of them stepped onto the floor at the top of the stairs, Ryan turned towards Kylie's room and wandered inside, gingerly placing her little girl in the middle of her bed when she was close enough. The blanket that Ken had put around her was still over her shoulders and as soon as Kylie's body was securely on the bed, Ryan made sure she was covered, then she leaned down, ran a loving hand through her golden blonde locks, and pressed a sweet little kiss against the top of Kylie's head.

Jordan remained standing in the doorway and when Ryan walked out to meet him, he slipped an arm around her shoulders and ushered her towards their bedroom, where she immediately flopped onto the bed and spread her limbs out, stretching her muscles and letting out a sigh of content.

"Rough night?" Jordan teased and nabbed the phone off the nightstand before sitting down on the edge of the bed beside her. He let his body fall backwards and when he was lying right next to her, she turned to face him and curled up against his side.

"I've had worse." She joked in response and settled in while Jordan dialed the number belonging to the one and only Chris Argent. She remained silent and when he hit the speaker button before resting the phone face up on his chest, she watched the device, listening to it ring.

"Argent here." Chris answered on the second ring and Ryan held her breath, hoping this call would go rather smoothly. She didn't know what other options they had in regards to Jordan if Chris didn't agree to help them.

"It's Jordan, Jordan Parrish, you're on speaker, I'm here with Ryan."

"Ah, I see, well hello Ryan."

"Hi." She smiled and waved at the phone, giggling because she knew that he wouldn't be able to see her. "How are things?"

"Things are okay, I guess. Can't really complain all that much." Chris answered. "And how are things with you?"

"Could be better, could be a lot worse." Ryan replied. "We were calling to see if you might be willing to help us though."

"Straight to the point, there's no messing around with you, is there Ryan?" Chris' voice sounded rather jolly and she couldn't help but think that maybe he was on their side, maybe he'd be more than willing to help them and maybe he'd feel pretty good about keeping Ryan in the loop too. Like Jordan had said earlier, it couldn't hurt to ask him and the worst thing he could do was say no.

"Not really, not when it comes to things like this." Ryan stifled a chuckle and looked up, meeting Jordan's eyes. "We were wondering if you could maybe follow Jordan one night."

"Follow him?" Chris sounded confused and Ryan couldn't exactly fault him for that. She was confused too, she knew what Jordan was up to but she didn't understand why. What drew him to the bodies? How did he know where to go and who to take? The supernatural just seemed to be one, big, giant question mark when it came to her and she wouldn't mind getting some sort of answers.

"It happens every night. I don't know when and I don't know what triggers it, but at some point every night, I leave." Jordan explained, starting to get into it.

"Well he leaves but only if he even came home to start with." Ryan threw out.

"When I come back, I find burned clothes and blood. If I didn't know certain things, I'd call it sleepwalking but I'm not just wandering out the door, I'm heading out with purpose, I'm searching for something." Jordan continued and gave Ryan a reassuring look.

"So you want me to what exactly? Just sit around, waiting to see where you go?" Chris questioned.

"Yeah, we want to know what he's up to but he doesn't want me to get myself into any trouble." Ryan drawled.

"That's why I need you to follow me." Jordan stated. "I need to know where I'm going and what I'm doing. If people are getting hurt because of me, if I'm adding to the body count I have to know."

"Where exactly did you want me to watch from? I can be over at your place-"

"His apartment." Ryan cut in. "He still has his apartment. I would gladly welcome you into our home but we have Kylie here and we thought it was best if we didn't freak her out by having some random man sitting and watching while we slept."

"That's a smart point." Chris remarked. "Okay, so I sit and watch Parrish sleep while he's in his apartment and then-"

"When I wake up at night, when it takes over, I want you to follow me, and if you have to I want you to stop me." Jordan broke in and they easily heard Chris suck in a breath.

"Stop you?" Chris echoed Jordan's words and Ryan knew what he was trying to do, he was trying to get Jordan to give him permission to use any force necessary to keep people from getting her.

"But don't kill him, _please_ don't kill him." Ryan pleaded.

"Kill me, if you _have_ to." Jordan argued.

"He has a family though, and a baby on the way, so please, don't kill him unless it's a life or death situation. I don't want to lose him, I _can't_ lose him. You know what that's like right, losing people?" She quipped.

"I do." Chris answered somberly and then lowered his voice so that it was barely audible. "We used to have a code, as hunters, 'we hunt those that hunt us'."

Ryan furrowed her eyebrows together in confusion and took his words to heart. Was he really admitting that he was willing to hunt someone who was hunting him? Was he implying that if it came down to it, if Jordan was the predator, that he'd hunt him down and what? Kill him?

"Used to, you said _used_ to." Ryan clung to the hope that she hadn't misheard the man. She was desperate to know that he'd do anything in his power not to have to kill Jordan. She didn't know what she'd do if anything happened to him, she couldn't fathom the idea of being alone, without Jordan right by her side. "Does that mean you changed your code?"

Chris took in a deep breath, "before my daughter Allison died, she came up with a new code, a code better suited for our world, 'we protect those that cannot protect themselves'. What sort of man would I be if I didn't honour my daughter's code?"

"Thank god." Ryan sighed in relief. "You're our only hope."

"I'll do what I can." Chris stated. "I'll watch over the deputy, I'll follow him when he leaves and I will only kill him if I _have_ to."

"And you'll keep _me_ posted on his whereabouts?" Ryan baited and held her breath, hoping for the best possible outcome.

"You can't blame her for wanting to know what's going on, can you?" Jordan piped up.

"I wouldn't dream of it. I'm sure we can come up with some sort of agreement on how to keep Ryan in the loop. Call me later, before you go to your apartment for the night."

"Will do." Jordan said calmly. "Thank you."

"Yes! Thank you so, so much Chris, you're a lifesaver." Ryan threw in.

The phone call ended, Jordan rolled towards her and gathered her against his chest, then he pressed a kiss against her forehead and silently prayed that everything would be okay. He didn't want to die but he knew that if it came down to his life for someone else's that he would want to protect people.

Ryan let out a sigh and relaxed in his hold and Jordan merely stayed silent, hoping that their plan worked out. What other options did they have if it didn't?

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**


	82. Chapter 82

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary:_ _One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 _ **Chapter 82** **:**_

Chris had always felt a pang of sympathy for the young nurse working at the hospital. It wasn't that she reminded him of anyone, not his wife, not his daughter, not anyone that he had been unlucky enough to lose in recent years, no, the sympathy came from her having once been in the same position as him.

He had lost his wife, he had lost her to the supernatural and once Chris had found out that her late husband had been a part of the kanima massacre at the sheriff's station all those months ago, he knew that she'd hold a spot in his heart. Jordan Parrish was an ally, he was someone that Chris had no problem getting along with, but he didn't want to cause Ryan Sloane any more pain; she had already lost one man to the supernatural, Chris would go to hell and back before he let the supernatural take another from her.

Watching the deputy sleeping had struck him as a little off kilter but it wasn't like the slumbering Parrish wasn't aware of him there. Chris had been welcomed into the apartment, they had discussed where the best place to set up would be and the two of them had decided on the living room. The bedroom was much too personal and in Chris' professional opinion, it was too small. There weren't many places for Chris himself to hide and he didn't want to get caught in the Hellhound's wrath, especially when he was going to do his best not to bring harm to Jordan.

Having tucked himself in the corner of the living room, giving him a decent vantage point to keep his eye on the deputy, Chris blew out a breath and tried to calm his pounding heart. He wasn't scared over potentially having to face the beast, he wasn't afraid of encountering Parrish's Hellhound state, no, he was fearful that he would have to pull the trigger on the man that Chris would deem a friend.

Bringing that sort of pain upon Ryan would break his heart and in all his years of being a hunter, Chris knew that breaking hearts was one of the worst things that he's ever had to do. Killing monsters, hunting beasts, that was all part of a day's work, but telling loved ones that they hadn't made it, well that was something Chris had never been fond of.

"What the hell are we doing here deputy?" Chris muttered and watched intently as Jordan began to stir on the couch not even twenty feet away. His fists clenched against his sleeping form and Chris locked his eyes on him, watching, waiting for anything to happen. It had been hours since the sun had gone down but yet Chris had barely moved a muscle, remaining on the stiff, hard chair to watch over the deputy.

If this was what it was going to take, if this was what he was going to have to do, then so be it. Chris wasn't going to let Jordan Parrish out of his sight, not until he figured out what the hell he was up to in the middle of the night.

Straightening up in the chair, Chris gripped his gun firmly in his hand and lifted the muzzle upwards, hoping against hell that he wouldn't have to squeeze the trigger. Jordan was just moving, he was getting more comfortable, that was all, except what the deputy shot upwards and sat bolt upright, Chris leaned forward and ran his finger along the outside of the trigger.

Chris remained sitting and it wasn't until Jordan rose up to his feet, his eyes glassed over as if in a trance, that he dared to move. He didn't want to draw attention to himself, he didn't want to cause a distraction to the hellhound, he merely wanted to know where he was going and what exactly it was that he was doing.

Jordan moved for the front door of his apartment and without hesitation, he opened the door with a creak, stepping out into the hallway. Chris held back, nabbing his phone off of the table and pulling up a new text message. He typed out 'on the move' and set it to Scott without a second's pause for thought, then he too stood up and swiftly moved through the apartment and out into the hallway. Chris made sure to pull the door shut behind him and carried on, his eyes never leaving the sleepwalking deputy's form.

With the thought of Ryan filling his head, Chris made sure to stay close by Jordan, not wanting him to veer off track and hurt any innocent people, especially not the nurse, or her child.

Chris maintained sight of Jordan and he continued to follow him, staying a few feet behind him as a buffer; there was no way that Chris wanted to find himself in between Jordan and whatever sort of goal he had for the night, no, he wanted to watch, he wanted to observe and most importantly, he wanted to make sure he, as well as Jordan, remained relatively unscathed.

When Jordan turned down a nearby street, Chris looked forward and spotted his target. The high school wasn't too much further in front of them and without even thinking that much, Chris shot another text to Scott, letting him know that he believed they were heading for the school. If the deputy changed course, Chris would simply send another text in Scott's direction, but as it sat at that moment, it wasn't hard to see that it was the most obvious destination.

Moments later, Chris found himself on the school property, still following Jordan closely. The nearby tunnel seemed to be calling out to him but before Chris could gauge what was going on, Jordan broke out into a fierce run, leaving Chris behind and just at the entrance to the tunnel.

It was dark, the entire world around him was quiet, and Chris could feel a shiver coursing through his body; something wasn't right, something bad was about to happen, if it hadn't happened already. Holding his gun out in front of him, he remained poised and ready to shoot but he wasn't entirely sure what his target was going to be.

Part of him knew that Jordan wasn't the bad guy in this entire situation, but that didn't mean he couldn't still be hurting people. Maybe Jordan was leading him to something bigger, something badder, and Chris didn't want to die simply because he had been unprepared. When a faint noise caught his attention, he widened his eyes with the hopes that he could spot something, _anything_ , that would set him at ease.

No such luck, there was nothing in front of him, nothing near him that he could see, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to be ready to kill. Lifting his hand up, he pulled the barrel of his gun backwards and made sure that it was ready to shoot at the drop of a dime. This was what he was made for, this was what he had been taught all of his life.

Trekking through the tunnel, Chris found his heartbeat picking up in pace at the sight of pure destruction in front of him. Before he could reach the steps, he shook his head and took in the sight of the ripped and still burning sign lying on the cold, hard ground. Jordan had been here, he had to have been here, the beast itself wouldn't have left little spots of flames on the sign, but just because Jordan _had_ been in the tunnel, didn't mean he still was.

When he was standing right next to the sign, he peered back, and above him, looking for where it had come from. It was easy to see that it had been ripped from the concrete beam overhead and Chris fought off the urge to surge forward. Something still didn't feel right and he wasn't about to run head first into a potentially dangerous situation, not without knowing a few more facts.

With his finger securely resting against the front of the trigger, he looked up the stairs and caught sight of the lights on, the lights that lined the field outside of the high school. He moved forward and hoped that he could lay his eyes on Parrish, he just wanted to know that the deputy was okay, that he was still alive.

Mounting the stairs, Chris held his breath and hoped for the best possible outcome. Maybe the beast had been scared off, maybe it had a mission of its own, maybe it wasn't even here at the school to start with. Although if Chris was honest with himself, he knew better than to bet on the last option, this was Beacon Hills, not a walk in the park.

Turning the corner once he reached the top of the stairs, he headed towards the building, the sound of a car door shutting catching his attention. This had to be Scott, it wasn't like the beast, or even the hellhound, would be using a car, right? No, no now he had to focus on getting to Scott and as he picked up his pace, and lowered his gun, he headed for the parking lot with the hopes that he could get to Scott before Parrish did.

Locking his eyes on the three young boys, Chris felt his body relax at the sight. They were okay, _so far_ , and they seemed to be ready to help him, not that he needed it. Scott led the charge and closed in on him while Chris continued to move forward, stealing glances all around him with the hopes of catching sight of Jordan, or anything else that seemed even remotely suspicious.

"Where's Parrish?" Scott quipped, his voice lower than normal. Chris took a few more steps towards the trio and came to a stop in front of them, stealing one more quick look around.

"I lost him. He's moving too fast." Chris confessed and held Scott's gaze. They had to figure out what to do now, how to locate Parrish, but Chris wasn't a werewolf, he didn't have the ability to track the man in any other way except for following tracks. Scott though, Scott could find the man by scent.

"Scott." Liam barked, his attention off to the side. Chris followed the youngest boy's gaze down the outside hallway, his eyes locking on a body, an unmoving body at that. "That guy's not moving at all."

The four of them moved closer to the fallen form, each step was slow and steady, and when they were close enough to get a better, more detailed look, Chris knew that whatever was going to happen was not going to be pretty.

The person laying on the concrete walkway was dead and covered in blood. He looked like he had been mauled and whether it was by Parrish or someone else, Chris didn't know, but he wanted nothing more than to find out.

No one said a word as the four of them, led by Scott, sidestepped around the body. Chris held his gun tighter in his hand and followed the true alpha along the walkway, and a few steps later, another limp form was easily seen discarded in the middle of the sidewalk. Chris lifted his gun ever so slightly and continued to follow Scott as he took a few steps closer to the second body, then he looked past it and caught sight of the row of school buses parked in the lot in front of them.

The back emergency exit of the bus on the end was wide open, revealing the darkened interior of the bus itself. Chris didn't dare tear his eyes off the mysterious open door, instead, he tried to look inside as far as he could, searching for any sign of Parrish, or worse: the beast.

"Look." Liam instructed and Chris narrowed his eyes in on the bus, hoping that he could see what Liam wanted him to see.

Mangled bodies covered in blood were lurching out of the back of the bus and Chris couldn't help but hold his breath, hoping that not all of the people inside were dead. Was this the work of Jordan Parrish? Had he lost the deputy only to allow him to massacre a busload of innocent people?

"Help me." One of the people from inside the bus rasped and Chris gripped his gun tighter as he watched the injured boy's head tilt sideways.

Scott made a move to take a step forward but Chris remained planted where he was, only moving when the very man that he was supposed to be tracking appeared from beside them.

"It's a trap." Jordan Parrish stated, although to Chris' trained ears, it didn't sound exactly like the deputy normally did. Parrish wandered closer to the bus and took up a stance between it and them, Chris watching on with a gross fascination.

"Please." The boy hanging out of the bus rasped again and his blood-covered, wounded arm reached out towards them, as if he was trying to draw them closer.

"You can't help him." The deputy pressed and locked his eyes on Scott, gluing the alpha to the pavement, stopping him dead in his tracks.

No one moved except the thing inside the bus. Chris watched Jordan as Jordan watched whatever was lurking inside and when the top half of the mangled boy fell to the ground with a nasty sounding sucking noise, Chris felt his body jerk in response. No one deserved to go out that way, especially no one innocent. In all of the hunts that he had been on with his own father, the very man that bisected omegas with a broad sword, he had never once gotten used to the idea of seeing someone being cut right in half.

The bus began creaking and Chris raised his gun up, pointing it into the centre of the open back door. Before he could say a word, two glowing blue spots lit up within the bus and suddenly, he found himself looking right at the giant, grotesque form of the Beast squeezed in between the rows of seats on the school bus.

"That's big. No one said it was that big." Stiles remarked calmly but Chris knew better, they were all in serious danger, they all needed to stay out of the Beast's way.

"I did." Liam whispered in response but Chris ignored both boys, keeping his gun pointed directly at the beast in front of him. He had _never_ seen a werewolf so big or gnarly and even with the sizeable gun in his hand, he knew it was going to take more than a few bullets to stop it.

The Beast opened its mouth and let out a feral, ferocious roar but no one moved, no one budged even an inch. Parrish lifted his hands up and matched the Beast's growl with one of his own before his entire body erupted in flames. The deputy was covered with fire and within seconds, he took off in the direction of the bus, breaking out into a run. The beast turned around in the bus and began heading for the windshield, Parrish nearly catching up with it and running alongside the outside of the bus.

When the Beast exploded through the glass of the windshield, Jordan ran off into the dark after it, chasing it until they both disappeared from view. Chris ran forward a few steps, along with the other three boys, but they stopped before they got too close to the massacre.

"What the hell's happening?" Scott demanded and Chris could only stare out into the darkness, hoping that Jordan Parrish would show up again in one piece. He didn't have the heart to tell Ryan Sloane that he hadn't made it.

"It's getting smarter." Chris answered and pulled out his cell phone.

At the very least, he could text her and tell Ryan that at this point in time, he could only assume Jordan was still alive. After that though, Chris wasn't entirely sure what was going to happen.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Sleeping without Jordan right next to her had been hard but Ryan had managed to fall into a peaceful slumber, at least that had been the case, up until the vibrating of her phone pulled her out of her wonderful state of sleep. The obnoxious rumbling of her phone against the bedside table had ripped her from her dream and Ryan had found herself groaning at the sound. Ryan reached a hand out and wrapped it around the buzzing cell phone, freeing it from the surface of the table and peering at the screen. She blinked her eyes a few times to try to clear the fuzziness from sleep and when she finally managed to make out the name flashing across the screen, she went rigid.

What the hell was Chris Argent doing calling her, and at this hour? Was she reading the time right, it was nearly two in the morning; surely Chris wouldn't be calling her unless something bad happened, right? Panic flooded through her body and she fought off the urge to break down into sobs; until she knew for sure, she wasn't going to jump to conclusions, although deep in her gut, she knew that he wasn't just calling to tell her things were going well.

"Hello?" She quipped, trying to sound like she hadn't just been sound asleep as she hit the answer button on the phone. "Chris?"

"Ryan, look, I don't want to alarm you but I've lost track of Parrish." Chris confessed and Ryan sucked in a breath, hoping that maybe this news wasn't as bad as it could've been. He had stated that he had lost Jordan, did that mean that he had managed to slip away from Chris unnoticed, and ultimately unharmed, or had he been injured before getting away?

"What do you mean?" She pressed and squeezed her eyes shut, readjusting her legs under the covers and bringing her knees upwards. "Is he okay though?"

"Well, I'm not too sure." She heard Chris sigh and at the sound, she held her own breath. He was an experienced hunter, he knew more of what was going on than anyone she knew and if he 'wasn't too sure' if Jordan was okay or not, did that mean that something bad _had_ happened? "The last I saw of him, he was running after the Beast."

"I'm sorry, what?" She barked and straightened up in the bed. Her muscles were tense and she could feel her fingers clenching around the phone. "What… _what_!?"

"I haven't been able to track him down since then and that was just over an hour ago." Chris admitted and she lifted her free hand, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'm going to keep looking for him but if he happens to go to you-"

"You'll be the first person I call." She cut him off and blew out a breath. "Do you think he's okay though, I mean, do you think…what _do_ you think?"

There were a few beats of silence and Ryan waited patiently, hoping that Chris was going to say something positive. Jordan had chased after the beast, but that didn't mean anything, right? Surely the beast could out run him, surely the beast could stay one step ahead of a hellhound?

But she didn't know what either creature was capable of, she just knew what Jordan himself was capable of, and taking on a beast in his human form seemed like a daunting task. Wasn't that the reason that they had enlisted Chris Argent's help, wasn't that the reason that the man on the phone carried a gun?

"I think there's a strong possibility that he's going to be a little worse for wear when I finally manage to find him." Chris answered firmly and Ryan fought off the urge to squeak in dismay. No, no she didn't want to hear things like that come from Chris' mouth, she wanted to hear him say that Jordan could easily catch the beast and destroy it, even if it _was_ a lie. "That's not to say that he won't make it out alive."

"I want him to come back to me, in one piece." Ryan breathed the words out and wiggled her feet under the covers. She waited for Chris to respond, to assure her that he would, but when the man on the other end of the line simply sighed, she knew that he wasn't going to dance around the point.

The situation sucked, Jordan was in trouble, and he wasn't going to sugar-coat it for her. She was a big girl, surely she could handle it, but she didn't want to, she didn't want to have to worry about Jordan, she didn't want to have to worry about raising their baby alone, she just wanted Jordan right next to her, his arms around her, holding her tight while the two of them slept comfortably in the same bed.

Was that too much to ask? Was that something that would soon become out of reach for her?

"I'm going to do everything I can to make sure he makes it back to you in one piece." Chris' voice sounded much more confident than it had mere seconds before. "I swear I will."

"I know, and I appreciate everything you've done for us up until now." Ryan stated. "Thank you, from the bottom of my heart."

"Of course."

She didn't say a word, she just waited for Chris to hang up on his end and when the dial tone sounded out in her ear, she sucked in a breath, let the phone move away from her ear and crossed her arms over her chest. Had Chris tried calling Jordan, had he thought to do the simplest thing possible in an attempt to locate him?

With that thought floating through her mind, she dialled Jordan's cell phone number and listened carefully as it started to ring. When a low rumbling sound echoed out of the drawer on the nightstand from Jordan's side of the bed, Ryan shook her head in disbelief. He had left his phone at the house, he had left his cell phone tucked away in their bedroom, and she hadn't even paid any attention until that very second.

Letting out a frustrated growl, she threw her legs over the side of the bed and dropped her phone down where it landed on the sheets. Ryan stood up and stretched her arms into the air, feeling her muscles pulling slightly as she stepped away from the bed. Without putting it off for a second longer, she pranced out into the hallway and slipped into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

It wasn't until she was sitting on the toilet seat with her underwear down around her knees that she registered anything wrong and if it hadn't been for the reddish brown splotches on the material of her panties, she wouldn't have thought twice about anything. Pulling in a huge breath of air, she held it and tipped her head back, praying to the higher powers that just because she was spotting didn't necessarily mean that her baby was in any immediate danger.

"Please just be spotting." She murmured to herself and nabbed a few squares of toilet paper off the roll next to her. When she was finished, she stole a quick peek at the disposable material and shivered.

There wasn't much blood on it but there was enough to send her into a state of worry. It wasn't like she had too many options, not with Kylie asleep in the room across the hall, but did a tiny bit of blood warrant a trip to the emergency room in the middle of the night?

Shaking her head, and attempting to pull herself together, she stood up, secured her underwear back into its place and flushed the pink water in the toilet bowl down. Her concern and worry was certainly valid but she'd be at work soon enough and once she was there, she'd head directly for Melissa.

There wasn't anything she could do at that exact moment, plus it wasn't uncommon for a bit of spotting to occur early on in a pregnancy. She had seen women sent home who had been bleeding more than she had.

Washing her hands, Ryan tiptoed back into her room and flopped onto the bed, facing the ceiling. She sucked in a breath, pressed her palms over her abdomen and said a little prayer for Jordan _and_ the baby.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Uh oh..._**


	83. Chapter 83

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary:_ _One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 _ **Chapter 83** **:**_

The hospital seemed to be pretty dead as soon as Ryan waltzed into work the next morning. Most of the chairs within the waiting area were empty and when she peered around to look at the front desk, she took note that where there was usually a rather large pile of patient files, today there weren't very many files at all.

Odd, sure, but not unheard of. In fact, the idea of having a relatively slow shift seemed appealing to Ryan, at least she could breathe this particular day, a day where things in her life were already worrying her enough without the added stresses of a busy shift at work. Sucking in a breath, Ryan took a look around and searched for signs of Melissa McCall and upon locating the very woman in question heading for the front desk, Ryan kicked it into high gear and made a beeline for the desk, meeting her friend there at the same time.

Throwing a smile onto her face, Ryan tried to force her anxiety over the spotting from during the night to the back of her mind, at least for a few minutes. She wanted to have a nice, pleasant, simple conversation with Melissa before she got into the heavy stuff regarding her worries over her pregnancy. It was just a bit of spotting, surely it was nothing to worry about, right?

But what if it wasn't? What if it was way more serious than just a little bit of bleeding? What if she needed to get a hold of Jordan, what if he still wasn't answering his phone? Had Chris managed to locate him yet, because as of the time she had left the house, she hadn't heard from the older man and part of her was starting to worry.

She hadn't laid her eyes on Jordan since yesterday evening and the idea that he was out running around all night after some giant, menacing beast hadn't calmed her down at all, in fact, it had had the opposite effect. It wasn't like she had too many people to talk to about it though, and now that she was at work, at least she had a shoulder to cry on in the form of Melissa.

"You look like hell." Melissa pointed out with a knowing smirk. "Late night with the deputy I take it? He must really be excited about being a dad-"

"Jordan spent the night at his place." Ryan cut her off with a slight shake of her head. "We're trying to figure out what the hell's going on with him, he uh," pausing, she stole a look around and made sure there were no prying ears nearby, "he sleepwalks at night, comes home covered in ash."

Melissa looked Ryan up and down before crossing her arms over her chest and cocking her head to the side in confusion. Ryan waited for her to say whatever it was that she needed to say but before either woman could make a move to speak, the woman who worked behind the desk approached them both and cleared her throat.

"We're anticipating a slow day today." She stated and Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"Why's that exactly?" Melissa questioned and Ryan found herself nodding along with her pal. "After everything that's happened before, are people finally-"

"The idea that there was a giant, wolf like animal spotted here a few nights ago doesn't seem to sit very well with the people of this town." The woman broke in and levelled each woman with a gaze. "I'm not sure why all of a sudden people are fearful now but that's what I've been told."

"You mean because of all the previous attacks, right?" Ryan pressed. "A giant animal hardly holds a candle to murderous ninjas." "I don't know what to tell you." The lady at the desk shrugged. "I'm just telling you what's going on. None of the floors are very busy, it seems that people might actually be coming to their senses and staying home unless they're suffering from an actual emergency."

Ryan looked at Melissa, who was staring at the lady who manned the desk. She then peeled her eyes off her friend and looked at the lady too, wondering if what she was saying was really true. If all of the floors, not just theirs, were dead, did that mean that maybe Ryan could get in for an ultrasound if something didn't make her feel better about her pregnancy? Could she book an appointment for that day even?

"You said 'none of the floors', does that include-"

"All the floors, every last one of them." The lady cut her off and fixed her with a glare. "We're currently holding the least amount of patients I've ever seen."

"Really…" Ryan trailed off and caught Melissa's attention. "Thanks."

The woman turned on her heels and headed back down the hall from where she had just come from, leaving the two of them alone together. Ryan cocked her head sideways and let her eyes fall shut as she debated her next move; this was a good thing, this was great news, now all she had to do was figure out how to call up to the ultrasound department without interfering with her shift.

"What's going on in your head?" Melissa asked, pulling Ryan out of her thoughts and back to reality. "What are you thinking Ry?"

"Aside from the fact that we might be able to keep up with all the patients today?" Ryan joked and Melissa let out an amused chuckle, waving at her to keep talking. "Well, last night, when I went to the bathroom in the middle of the night, I noticed that I was spotting a little bit."

"That's not good." Melissa said with a shake of her head. "You should go get checked out."

"Exactly." Ryan's lips curled up into a smile. "And since all the floors are dead, that means that I might be able to get squeezed in for an ultrasound, right?"

"Ryan." Melissa continued to shake her head, but there was no denying that the woman was chuckling still. "Only you would look at this in that way. Go get yourself ready, clock in and I'll see you on the floor."

"Okay, but I'm going to call up and see if I can't get in today, if that's okay with you." Ryan suggested.

"Fine with me, just let me know when so I can cover you." Melissa replied, a smile present on her face. "I hope everything's okay."

"Yeah," Ryan blew out a breath, "me too."

Melissa blew out an anxious breath as well and gave Ryan a gentle pat on the shoulder before taking off down the hall. Ryan lingered where she was for a few more seconds before she too took off down the hall, only she headed right for the lounge, punching in the code to unlock the door before slipping inside. She tucked her bag into a cubby and peeled off her jacket, hanging it up on the wall before shaking her head, hoping that this shift wasn't going to feel slow.

Blowing out the breath, Ryan headed back out into the hallway and made her way right for the front desk. She stepped behind it and took a seat in the chair before nabbing the phone from its cradle and dialling the extension for the ultrasound department. She squeezed the phone between her ear and her shoulder and leaned back in the chair, tipping her head back so that she had an unobstructed view of the ceiling above her.

"Diagnostic imaging, how can I help you?" The voice on the other end of the phone sounded out in Ryan's ear and she leaned forward in the chair, preparing herself in case she had to write anything down.

"It's Ryan Sloane calling from the emergency department, I was wondering if there was a chance that I could book an appointment for an ultrasound some time today?" Ryan spouted without skipping a beat. She grabbed hold of a discarded pen and pulled a piece of scrap paper from the top of the desk to the space in front of her.

"Doctor's name please?"

"Hathcock." Ryan answered and drummed the end of the pen against the desk. "I'm not really due for one or anything-"

"Have you spoken to your doctor recently?"

"No." Ryan shook her head and once she realized that the woman on the other end of the phone couldn't actually see her, she stopped and focused on the piece of paper. "But something doesn't feel right."

"You're having cramps then?"

"I was, I haven't in the last day or so."

"Any vaginal bleeding?" The woman pressed and Ryan sucked in a breath.

"Yeah."

"Okay, you need to get in touch with your doctor and let them know about your symptoms but for right now, I can see f I have any openings for today. Do you have a preferred time?"

Ryan considered the question for a few seconds before answering, "no, any time."

There was a silence on the other end of the line but Ryan listened hard, catching the faint sounds of the keyboard clicking as the woman searched for an open appointment. It wasn't more than thirty seconds before the woman spoke to her again and Ryan couldn't help but think that maybe she had bad news, maybe there weren't any openings that day.

"How's three?" The woman questioned and Ryan let out a soft sigh of relief. Three worked, she could do three, and the only thing that weighed on her mind was getting to three. That was still hours away, but hey, she was at work, she could keep herself busy until then, right?

"Three's good." Ryan found herself smiling. Yes, three was good, at least she'd find out if there was something wrong with her baby that day instead of having to wait a little longer. For that, she was relatively thankful. "I can do three."

"Okay, then we shall see you then, and don't forget to get in touch with your doctor, you might require a follow up appointment."

"Sure." Ryan waited for the woman to hang up, and then she placed the phone down, letting out another sigh of relief as she relaxed in the chair, hoping that everything was okay. Without letting herself conjure up too many worst-case scenarios in her head, she picked the phone back up and dialled Doctor Hathcock's office number.

With the pen still poised in her hand, she couldn't help but feel that maybe this was a good thing. With Jordan being gone for the entirety of the night before, she had a chance to focus on her and the baby, yes, maybe having him gone temporarily was a good wake up call. She needed to worry about herself first and not whatever Jordan was up to, even though she knew it was easier said than done. He was a supernatural creature after all, and one that not a lot of people understood. Jordan was a mystery to her but so long as he loved her and wanted to be with her, then that was all that mattered.

"Doctor Hathcock's office, how can I help you?"

"I'm calling to make an appointment." Ryan answered.

"Can I get your name please?" The secretary squawked and Ryan pressed the tip of the pen against the paper before scribbling out the word 'ultrasound', following it up with the number '3'.

"Ryan Sloane." Ryan responded.

"Okay," The woman mumbled and Ryan waited for the next prompt, "what did you need an appointment for?"

"Well I just booked an ultrasound for today and I need a follow up appointment for that. I've been having cramps lately and last night I noticed I was spotting a little bit."

"Oh dear." The female voice seemed to whimper at Ryan's words. "So you're looking for something today I assume, let's see what I've got here…"

"Anything after 3:30?" Ryan baited and the woman let out a hum in response.

"I have an opening at 4:15, does that work?"

"That's fine." Ryan nodded her head and scribbled down Doctor Hathcock's name below the ultrasound, then she wrote the time beside it. "I thought it'd be way harder to get in today."

"We've had a lot of cancellations lately." The woman answered with a light chuckle.

"So I've heard." Ryan teased.

"Was there anything else I can do for you?"

"No." Ryan answered. "That's all, thanks so much."

"I'll see you at 4:15 then Miss Sloane. Have a nice day."

Ryan hung up the phone and shook her head. Everything seemed to have worked out quite nicely and with a newfound positive attitude, Ryan rose up from the chair, folded her piece of paper listing her appointment times and stuffed it into her pocket. Without putting off work for another second, she nabbed the patient file on the top of the pile and took off from behind the desk.

With an ultrasound at three and an appointment shortly after that, she could breathe easy. For now, she had done all she could do.

 _ **XxxxxxxXxxxxxxXxxxxxxX** _

"This might be a little bit cold." The technician announced before squeezing a dollop of the gel out of the tube and onto Ryan's lower abdomen. She anticipated the cool feeling but still twitched as it landed on her skin. "Dr. Hathcock called to inform us that her appointment for around this time was cancelled, she'll be joining us momentarily."

"Oh okay." Ryan nodded her head solemnly and held the bottom of her shirt up out of the way, having it rolled and scrunched up just under her breasts. She had tried to call Jordan on her way up to the floor but there had been no answer and there weren't any messages from Chris, or anyone else even. She was worried, rightly so, as she hadn't heard from the father of her child since she had said her goodnights to him the night before.

"I've been told that you've been suffering from cramping and spotting, is that right?" The tech questioned and Ryan sucked in an anxious breath.

"I haven't had any cramps in over a day." Ryan answered vaguely and hoped that she could easily ignore the spotting that she had witnessed the night before. If she pretended it wasn't happening, then maybe she could also pretend that she felt confident that nothing was wrong with the baby. Except she was an experienced nurse and she knew better than to hope for the best, especially when it came to her life.

"And the spotting?" The tech baited and Ryan let out a soft groan in response.

"Last night was the first I've noticed any sort of spotting." Ryan answered honestly but held her breath anyways. There were a thousand possibilities as to why she could've been spotting the night before, but pairing it with the cramps over the last week or so, she knew that whatever the ultrasound would tell her most likely wouldn't be anything good.

She wanted Jordan with her too and as of that moment, she had no idea where he was, or if he was even okay. Chris Argent had said that he had lost track of him after he had taken off after the beast, but that was in the middle of the night and currently she hadn't heard from him either. What the hell was going on and where was Jordan when she really needed him?

"Let's see if we can't find your baby." The tech announced and pressed the end of the wand against her abdomen. Ryan froze at the contact and let her eyes fall shut, refusing to look at the screen in case the woman doing her ultrasound couldn't actually find the baby.

She held her breath and forced herself to listen to the sounds that the machine was making. Surely if the woman was as well trained as Ryan knew, then she would've at least been able to pick up on the heartbeat of the baby inside of her, yet there was nothing more than the usual sounds of the machine doing its job.

Ryan couldn't hold her breath any longer and she let it out with a huge sigh at the exact moment that a soft knock on the door sounded out. When Doctor Hathcock announced that it was merely her, the tech beckoned for her to come on in and the doctor did exactly that. Ryan forced a smile onto her face and opened her eyes to meet her doctor's gaze but the woman was looking at the screen of the machine.

"I can't seem to locate the baby, not yet anyways." The tech said in a low tone. "But she's stated that she's experienced cramping and spotting in recent days."

"Anything else you feel I should know?" Doctor Hathcock looked down at Ryan with what she could only assume was meant to be a reassuring look on her face.

"I don't- I don't know." Ryan shook her head. "I don't think so."

"No trauma, no injuries to your core area?" The doctor pressed but Ryan merely shook her head no. She froze though at the thought of her little adventure into Eichen House and more specifically the very second that Lydia had screamed before Jordan covered her up. The force had sent everyone colliding to the ground, but had that been enough to harm her baby? Had that been the final nail in the coffin for their unborn child? Or had something else happened?

"I fell." Ryan whispered. "I'm sorry, I forgot, I fell."

"Was it a bad fall? Did it knock the wind out of you or anything?"

"I don't think so, I mean, I felt fine." She shook her head but locked her eyes on the screen as the technician continued to search for the baby that had once been growing inside of her. "Maybe."

"Unfortunately, I can't seem to find anything." The tech admitted and Ryan found herself shaking her head furiously. "I can keep looking but-"

"It might be possible that you've suffered a miscarriage." Doctor Hathcock cut in. "If that's the case, which seems very likely, I'd like to admit you to the hospital."

"But she's not done looking." Ryan argued and waved a hand dismissively at the technician. "Right? Please tell me my baby's just hiding."

"I uh," The tech trailed off but continued searching for any sign of the baby. Ryan's entire body tensed and she dropped her head down against the table, staring up at her doctor with a pleading look. "I don't know what to tell you."

"These things happen." Doctor Hathcock said in a soothing tone and Ryan found herself just nodding. There was no way that this was happening, not to her, not to her baby, not without Jordan with her, yet that's exactly what was happening. She was on her own, she was suffering by herself, how could she have thought that things would go smoothly for her, how could she have believed that this pregnancy would be easy?

"There's nothing more I can do." The tech stated and pulled the wand away from Ryan's flesh. She let go of the hem of her shirt but it barely moved and even Ryan remained frozen to her spot until the doctor placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry Ryan." Doctor Hathcock murmured but all Ryan could do was nod.

She didn't move, she merely watched as the doctor retreated back through the door, then she locked her eyes on the tech but she wasn't paying Ryan any attention.

"I'm just going to grab my stuff from downstairs." Ryan said in a barely audible tone. "Is that okay?"

"I'm sure that's fine. You can probably start filling out the paperwork for being admitted down there too."

She knew the tech was trying to be helpful but Ryan didn't care, she didn't want anyone to say anything to her, she just wanted to get back downstairs to Melissa. Yes, she just had to get to her friend, she had to find Melissa and then everything would be the tiniest bit better.

Gathering herself together temporarily, Ryan hopped off the table and headed out into the hallway. She wandered towards the elevators and pushed the down button. Seconds later, the elevator dinged and the doors opened and Ryan stepped on, crossing her arms over her chest and fighting back tears. All the struggle, all the emotions and now she didn't have her baby anymore.

It was gone, and so was Jordan. What was Ryan supposed to do? How was she supposed to deal with this loss on top of all the other losses in her life?

Without even thinking about it, she hit the button for the main floor and waited for the elevator to move downwards. Time seemed to be moving faster than it had earlier and when the doors opened to the emergency department, she dragged her feet towards the front desk, hoping against all odds that Melissa was somewhere obvious. She didn't have the energy to look for her friend and when she spotted her, she knew that things weren't going to be easy.

Melissa was standing at the front desk, the phone tight against her ear, and when Ryan got close enough to catch her friend's attention, she tossed a lame little wave in her direction, Melissa lifting up a finger to signal that she'd just need a few more minutes. Ryan understood, it wasn't like the tears were flowing freely, it wasn't like Melissa had gotten a good enough look to realize that Ryan was upset, no, her friend was distracted and Ryan couldn't fault her for that. After all, she was still on the clock.

"I thought we'd exhausted all the possibilities?" Melissa said into the phone and Ryan leaned over the edge of the desk, catching sight of the name on the caller ID as the edge of the counter pressed into her ribs.

She could see the familiar name reading Sheriff Stilinski and Ryan shook her head with a small, sad smile. If she hadn't been so saddened by her own news, she would've teased her friend mercilessly for having private conversations with the sheriff while at work.

The sheriff must've said something in response to Melissa but Ryan wasn't really paying all that much attention to the conversation at hand. Whatever they were talking about seemed to be pretty serious by the sheer look of concentration on Melissa's face. Melissa drifted sideways to the opposite edge of the desk and Ryan shook her head and pushed herself off the counter.

"Specifically another genetic Chimera? Someone with two sets of DNA?" Melissa said softly into the phone but Ryan had her hand over her belly button, her fingers pressing into her flesh in an attempt to will the baby back to life.

She tuned out the remainder of her pal's conversation but when the sound of the phone hanging up echoed through the hallway, Ryan turned her attention towards Melissa and fought off the urge to cry. She had managed to hold it together long enough and even though a part of her had been expecting the worst, she had held on to hope. Had she not been through enough pain without having to lose her baby too?

"How did it…" Melissa trailed off as the first tears erupted from Ryan's eyes. "Oh no, no no no, what happened Ry?"

Rushing around the end of the desk in a desperate attempt to reach Ryan, Melissa enveloped Ryan into a hug and immediately steered her away from the desk as she led her down the hall, away from judging eyes. The two of them approached the staff lounge and Ryan just let Melissa continue to lead her, pausing only long enough for Melissa to punch in the code and usher them both into the staff lounge where she sat down on the couch next to Ryan. Ryan held on to her with everything she had and buried her face in her shoulder, finally letting a sob wrack through her entire body at the idea that she was no longer going to be a mother in a few months.

"I lost it." Ryan wailed and felt Melissa's fingers running soothingly through her hair in a gesture of comfort. It wasn't very comforting at all but Ryan wasn't upset with Melissa, no, she was upset with the world and everything that she had to go through just to keep waking up to more and more bad things happening to her.

With one last fleeting thought of having to call her dad when she managed to pull herself together, Ryan gripped Melissa tighter and let the older woman try to soothe her.

It had been a long, long time since anyone resembling a mother had held her, and for that, Ryan was grateful.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Well, what do you guys think?_**


	84. Chapter 84

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 _ **Chapter 84** **:**_

Was this the school? What the hell was he doing at the school and why did everything hurt so much? Wait, where was…where was the beast? What had happened to the Beast? He had had the beast in his sights, he could recall almost getting near it, but why, _why_ , was he having so much trouble piecing together the rest of his night?

Did part of becoming the hellhound almost nightly mean that he was going to continue to forget what had actually happened from the time he left the house, or his apartment, until he suddenly snapped back into it? Were there just going to be giant parts of his life that he'd be missing for the remainder of his days on earth? Or would he eventually come to remember the horrors that he had partaken in?

Would being able to control it also give him the ability to remember what he had done?

Jordan didn't quite know which option was more terrifying. Not knowing what he was doing seemed to be the best for all parties involved, at least for the time being. Up until now, it wasn't like he had actually killed anyone himself, hell, as far as he was concerned, he had simply taken bodies that were already dead. But now there was the Beast to worry about, now he had a mission at night: to track down, and defeat, the Beast running amuck in Beacon Hills

Jordan let a shiver run down his spine at the thought of being able to recall exactly what he had done in all the previous nights that he currently couldn't remember. Did he really want to know what sorts of things he had resorted to when trying to get possession of one of the bodies? Did he dare to desire knowing who, if anyone, he had hurt to get what he had needed so badly?

Sucking in a breath and looking around, Jordan couldn't help but feel the confusion over the previous night's events come to the forefront of his mind. He had gone to his apartment, he had fallen asleep on the couch so that Chris Argent could keep an eye on him but up until a few minutes ago, there wasn't much that he could remember between then and now.

So why was he currently slumped down against the wall- no wait, bookshelf? Was he in the library? What the hell had brought him here and why hadn't anyone noticed him yet?

Anyone passing by the aisle of books would surely have noticed a wounded deputy leaning against the shelf, wouldn't they? Even in a time when kids were enveloped with their smart phones and tablets, surely _one_ person would have noticed a nearly naked man residing in the library?

Sucking in a breath and taking another quick look around the room, Jordan held his breath and prayed that it wasn't too late for him to try to make an escape. If no one had noticed him thus far- suddenly he found himself realizing that he didn't _want_ anyone to see him, not in his near naked form, and since he was in the heart of the high school, that meant that it was possible that at any second, students and teachers alike, could easily wander into the library in search of a book and find him instead. How the hell would he explain his current predicament without sounding completely insane?

The easy answer: he wouldn't, and then what would happen to him? Maybe the sheriff would be able to step in before he found himself admitted to Eichen House on account of being deemed certifiably insane, maybe his boss would help him out, but even so, there'd be other people wondering what was wrong with Jordan.

When a shiver ran down his spine, his eyes immediately traveled downwards and took in the vicious cuts on his body and when he lifted a hand up to try to feel his chest, he let out a hiss of pain from just trying to move. Everything hurt, everything ached and burned, but all he wanted to do was get up off the library floor and get the hell out of the school before anyone saw him.

Again, the thought of how he would even begin to explain his predicament crossed his mind. How would he be able to rationalize his current situation with anyone other than the select few that knew about the supernatural, and more importantly, what he was capable of?

Was there a phone nearby? Could he somehow manage to discreetly call out to either Chris or Ryan and inform them of where he was? Could he crawl across the floor and make it outside without someone stumbling upon him? Well that idea was certainly a lot less likely, as if a nearly naked deputy walking wouldn't cause enough stir, here he was thinking that he could crawl, yes, he'd be deemed insane for sure if anyone caught him doing that.

For now, he'd have to stay hidden within the bookshelves, hoping that someone with a familiar face would get near enough that he could flag them down in order to aid him with his escape.

His options were few and far between but at least he had _something_ to hope for. Scott, Stiles, Lydia even, any of them would be able to help him, at the very least he could ask them to cause a distraction so that he could get the hell out of there and to a place that was a little more private, but even if he did manage to get the hell out of there without being noticed, he found himself wondering where he would even go.

Jordan didn't know how much longer he'd be able to hole up in the library, nor did he want to think about what to do if no one that he trusted crossed his line of sight. He needed to figure this out, he needed to get himself somewhere safer and he needed to do it as soon as possible.

With each and every footstep that he heard passing him by, he flinched and tried to remain as stiff and still as possible. So far none of the people wandering around were anyone that he knew and at this point in time, he'd even take Liam or Kira crossing his line of sight. He just wanted to get out of there, he wanted to get himself home, or to the hospital, somewhere other than here.

It wasn't until a familiar group of teenagers slipped past him that he even realized the severity of the situation. Here he was, sitting amongst the books of the high school library merely waiting for someone to come and help him. Was he not a trained, capable deputy? Was there not a plan that he could've come up with in his head that would've allowed him to get away from the school without being noticed?

Over the nearest set of books, and in the next aisle, Jordan noticed that Lydia was right there, she was right there within earshot and all he had to do was get her attention. With as much confidence and strength as he could muster, he spoke her name and caught her attention.

"Lydia."

Before he knew what was happening though, Lydia Martin approached him cautiously and Jordan lifted a hand up, running it over the festering wounds on his chest. She crouched down just behind him and set her hand on his shoulder, letting him know that he wasn't alone anymore. Jordan let out a soft sigh of relief and made an attempt to get to his feet, stopping as the pain from his injuries became too much too fast.

"What are you doing here?" Lydia asked in a murmur and Jordan ground his teeth together, willing the pain to go away. He needed to get up, he needed to get to his feet so that he could get out of there, but it hurt too much, it ached deep down in his body. "Jordan, what happened to you?"

"I don't remember it all." Jordan confessed and leaned forward, desperate to get to his feet. She made quick work of clambering upright and offered him her hands in an attempt to help. Jordan latched on to her wrists and used her to haul himself up to his feet, standing in front of her on unsteady legs. "I just know that I went after the Beast."

"You _went_ after the Beast?" She quipped and looked him up and down, obviously taking in the sight of his clawed apart body. "And this is how you came out of that fight?"

"I guess." Jordan offered with a slight shrug. "I think I got my ass kicked."

"I won't disagree with you." Lydia shook her head and made a move to slip her arm around his waist in order to help keep him upright. He went rigid at the contact of her arm on his skin but she didn't pay any attention to his reluctance, instead, she pushed forward and wound up with his weight leaning against her. "We have to get you out of here."

"I need to call Ryan." Jordan hissed from the contact of her hand on his tender side. "She needs to know that I'm okay."

"Right now we need to get you out of here." Lydia countered and he sucked in a nervous breath. Lydia had a point, a good point too; what good was calling Ryan when he was stuck in the middle of the high school library in nothing more than a thin pair of underwear? "Come on, let me see if the coast is clear."

Lydia led him towards the end of the aisle of books and then she released her hold on him, taking a few more steps before stopping and looking around. She peered left, then right, then repeated the process once more before finally deeming the coast clear enough for them to make their escape. Remaining silent, Lydia closed back in on him and banded her arm around his middle before taking off in a quick pace for the door, hoping to remain unseen.

Jordan unknowingly held his breath and when they had managed to make it through the vacant hallways and out one of the side doors, he let out a relieved breath and tipped his head back, looking up into the sun. Lydia gave his side a gentle squeeze, drawing his attention back down to her and when he met her eyes, he knew that he had more important things to do than to hang around the school.

"You said you needed to call your girlfriend." Lydia reminded him and produced her cell phone from her back pocket. "I assume you don't have any hidden pockets on you."

Jordan looked down at himself and shook his head with an amused smile. There was nowhere to hide a phone, not considering he wasn't really wearing much at all. Gently, he took her phone from her hand and punched in Ryan's number, hoping to hell that she would pick up so that he could let her know she was okay. He hit the call button and lifted the device up to his ear, hearing it ring as it tried to connect with the woman he loved.

It rang, and rang, and rang and when it kicked in to her voicemail, he shook his head with a frustrated sigh and looked at the time. Huh, well maybe she was still at work, maybe she was busy doing rounds or taking care of a patient. He'd try to call her later and before he could call the hospital to ask to speak with her, he handed the phone back to Lydia, who took it without a second thought.

"We need to get you help." Lydia pointed out. "You're hurt, _bad_."

"I uh," Jordan trailed off, not entirely sure of what to tell her. It wasn't like they could just waltz into the hospital, no, the hospital would ask questions, plus he didn't want Ryan to see him like this, not just yet anyways. She'd freak out, she'd worry that he was hurt worse than he really was, and stress wasn't good for her, or the baby.

At that moment, he would have to come up with another solution, a better solution-

"What about the Argents?" Lydia broke in to his thoughts and Jordan's mind drifted to the man who had agreed to keep an eye on him while he slept. It seemed like the perfect solution, they'd go seek out Chris and not only would the man hopefully be able to help him, but Jordan could let him know that he was okay; or as okay as he could be considering he was still hurting _everywhere_.

"Yeah, okay." Jordan responded with a nod and let Lydia lead him further away from the school, and further away from a chance of exposure.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Lydia was standing a few feet behind him as he sat propped up on the floor. Chris had immediately taken an interest in the wounds spanning his chest and shoulder but Jordan's own interest laid on Gerard. The older hunter had never been someone that Jordan found trustworthy but at this point in time, this very second, it wasn't like he had much of a choice.

This is where Lydia had brought him to get help, this was who he'd have to put his faith in if he wanted to walk out of the place on his own accord.

"Ah, he's healing," Chris remarked as he looked over Jordan's wounds, crouching in front of him for a few seconds to get a better idea of what the deputy was suffering through, "slowly."

"Can you tell us what you remember?" Gerard asked as he stood over Jordan, looking down at him.

"Just bits and pieces." Jordan answered with a slight shake of his head. "Moments when I caught up with it."

His mind wandered back to when he had managed to land a hit to the Beast, but his victory hadn't lasted very long at all. Before he had known what was happening, it had turned right around on him and levelled his face with one hell of a punch. Jordan could still feel a bit of tenderness in his jaw from where the hit had landed but did it really matter how much pain he was in when he considered himself lucky to even be alive?

In his memories, he could also recall a moment where he had the upper hand, a time when the beast had tried to hit him again but Jordan had managed to block it and force the giant werewolf to try again. Well, okay, maybe that hadn't worked out as well as he had thought it might because the beast _had_ hit him again, this time, harder than the first.

"What else do you remember?" Chris barked at him, straightening up to his full height and looking down at Jordan. It didn't seem like he was going to be playing it very nice at this point in time but honestly, Jordan didn't care how Chris or Gerard played it, so long as they helped him, and even more importantly, the town that they all called home.

"I was losing." Jordan answered softly with a low huff. What had they really been expecting, Jordan had been the size of a human going up against a beast that was at least three times as large as he was. It wasn't a fair fight, it wasn't an even match up, and considering how much of a disadvantage he had, Jordan felt quite proud of himself for making it out of there in one piece.

"You said you could help him." Lydia piped up and Jordan found himself looking right at her. Lydia had brought him here for help, she had brought him to the Argents so that they could aid him, and no matter how thankful or appreciative of them for all they had done so far, all he really wanted was to get himself well enough to head home.

Ryan hadn't answered when he had called and he knew that she would be worrying about him, surely letting her know that he was okay was a top priority for all involved, except it didn't seem that way to the other three people in the room with him. Lydia was set on trying to get him help while the Argents seemed to be particularly interested in any information surrounding the beast that Jordan could provide, even if it was hardly anything at all.

"We have an idea or two." Gerard replied cryptically and Jordan felt a shudder course through his body at the old man's calm demeanour.

"We've been wondering if resolving this internal conflict you're having could help resolve the external one you're losing against the Beast." Chris added.

"Deputy, it's time you and your alter ego had a proper introduction." Gerard instructed.

Jordan's entire body tensed at the old man's words but he didn't want to back down. If what they were proposing could legitimately help him, and in turn help the town, then wasn't it worth it? If what they had planned for him was going to keep people safe, including Ryan, Kylie and the baby, then it was a price Jordan was willing to pay.

"How are you going to do that?" Lydia asked before he even had a chance. He wanted to know the answer just as badly but he hadn't been as quick to speak.

Chris waved them forward and led them off to the side of the room where a chain link gate was strung across a darkened adjoining room. Without a word, he opened the gate, flipped on the light and let Jordan take in the sight of the oversized machine.

It was something that he had never, ever, seen before, and in his heart he knew that it wasn't something particular fun, but if this was what it was going to take, he'd man up and do whatever the Argents asked of hm.

"With this." Chris announced, Jordan's eyes widening as he studied the thing in front of him.

"What's that supposed to do?" Jordan asked in an anxious tone, daring himself to take a step backwards to get a little bit farther away from it.

"It'll bring your body temperature down to a level that would kill a normal human being." Chris answered and let Jordan circle the machine, getting a better look at the thing. Jordan held his breath for a few seconds and said a silent prayer that he'd go into the metal box and come out unharmed. Sure he trusted Chris Argent with his life, but it wasn't just Chris that was here, Gerard was nearby too, and Jordan didn't trust him as far as he could throw him.

"Why down and not up?" Jordan countered.

"Something happens to someone like you when the body cools to extreme temperatures, everything slows down: the heart, the mind. It lets you consciously access a part of you that's usually unconscious." Chris explained but Jordan still didn't know how he felt about the giant metal coffin-like box residing in front of him.

"The supernatural part." Gerard added quickly.

"But that's dangerous, isn't it?" Lydia quipped. Oh thank god someone else in the room was feeling just as nervous about the whole thing as he was.

"Well, it's far less dangerous than if the Deputy can't evolve to face the Beast." Gerard remarked and levelled Lydia with a pointed look. Jordan's eyes widened at the man's words and stared at the two Argents, waiting for them to speak. When neither one of them did though, he took it upon himself to prompt them into telling him exactly what he wanted to know.

"Evolve?" Jordan pressed.

"Well, the Beast is not just getting smarter. Imagine it this way; each night, the teenage Chimera-" Chris started.

"The success." Lydia provided and Chris gave her a knowing nod, acknowledging that she was right on the money.

"This teenager goes out into the night and transforms, whether it's a young man or young woman, they become a werewolf, a very large, very powerful werewolf the people of Gevaudan called The Beast. Every night it transforms, it remembers a little more of who it used to be." Chris explained.

"It yearns for its identity, its name, not just the Beast of Gevaudan, but the man." Gerard threw in calmly.

"The Man of Gevaudan who wants to live too. He wants to exist. So imagine that one night the teenager goes out and transforms again, but when the Beast transforms back, the Man of Gevaudan stands there instead." Chris continued speaking.

"Fully realized." Gerard piped up. "Alive once again."

"That's what Valack meant." Lydia said firmly and Jordan held his breath, hoping for some good to come of their little tale. "He said, 'when the Beast remembers, the teenager would be gone'."

"Gone?" Jordan quipped and turned his body to face Lydia head on. "Like, no longer exists? How's that even possible?"

Lydia looked over at Chris, who was already looking towards his father.

Jordan blew out a soft sigh and caught a glimpse of the concerned expression etched on Chris' face. Was the hunter worried about this Beast, was he fearful of the carnage that the animal would bring to Beacon Hills? Or was there something more sinister weighing on his mind?

"Forget I asked." Jordan confessed with a shake of his head.

Chris bypassed Jordan and grabbed the handle of the machine, pulling the door open with ease. Jordan shot the man one more look, this one of worry, but Chris gave him an encouraging nod, which calmed Jordan enough to convince himself to step inside.

Once he was safely inside the machine, Chris let the door fall shut and pressed against it, making sure it had sealed completely. Jordan positioned himself so that he was looking straight out the little window in the door and his eyes landed on Lydia, but his mind wandered to Ryan. It had been hours since they had been in contact with one another and he felt his heart starting to pick up in pace at the thought that she was worrying herself sick.

She was pregnant, she had to take care of herself, and he knew that would be a hard task for any pregnant woman, but especially for her, especially because of what he was.

Chris shot him a reassuring look and played with the dials on the outside of the panel, watching carefully as Jordan got himself a little bit more comfortable inside. Once the settings were just right, he started the machine up and took a few steps back, producing his cell phone from his back pocket and pulling up a new text message.

Was this his place to talk to Ryan, was this something that she needed to know? Yes, yes it definitely was and Chris was going to do everything that he could to keep the woman safe, even if it meant he had to keep her own boyfriend away from her. It wasn't at that level quite yet but Chris knew that it was possible that the day would come when he might have to put Parrish down and for the first time in a long time, he didn't know if he'd be able to go through with it if the time ever came.

Once he had typed out a quick message letting Ryan know that he was currently with Jordan, he tucked his phone back into his pocket and watched the machine filling up with fog. The chill from the box was easily felt in the room and once it was full of fog to the point where he could no longer see Jordan, Lydia dared to step forward, worry in her eyes. His father grabbed her and pulled her back and Chris didn't make a move to stop him, not until the glowing orange irises of Jordan Parrish cut through the smoky haze.

Chris stepped across the room and stood next to his father, Lydia on the older Argent's other side. The three of them merely watched Jordan inside the machine, his eyes still glowing furiously and waiting for someone else to be the first one to speak.

"Is he okay?" Lydia broke the silence and Chris thanked the higher powers that she had asked him something so simple instead of something much more complicated.

"Talk to him. This part is for you, Lydia. You're the one who can reach him." Chris responded and gave the girl an encouraging nod. She hesitated but began moving closer to the nearly frozen deputy a few feet away.

"Jordan?" Lydia called out to him softly and Chris watched on carefully. When she was right in front of the thick glass window on the door, Jordan Parrish became slightly more visible.

"No." Jordan countered, his voice deep, low and now containing a slightly mechanical quality. Well that was a relatively good sign, it meant that something was working.

"Okay. Who am I talking to?" Lydia pressed.

"Cerberus, Garmr, Black Shuck, I've had many names." Jordan, or at least Jordan's body, answered.

"How about Jordan Parrish?" Gerard spoke up, his own tone calm and confident. Lydia peered back at the two of them but Chris didn't make a move, he just locked his eyes on Lydia and waited for the situation to play out in front of him.

"Do you know who I am?" Lydia questioned, turning her attention back to Jordan.

"The Banshee."

"What about Jordan Parrish? Why is it you and not him? What happened to Parrish?" Lydia's tone sounded desperate as she tried to seek out some sort of answer.

Chris continued to remain silent as he watched the scene unfold in front of him.

"Jordan Parrish died. There is no Jordan Parrish." Jordan countered.

"What are you talking about? How is Parrish dead?" Lydia hissed at him and Chris bounced from one foot to the other, tipping his head sideways too in order to get a better look at the deputy inside the machine.

"He's a body, a means to an end. I am beyond life and death. I am infinite. I have no use for your deputy." The robotic voice seemed to be getting more and more agitated with each word that it spoke.

"But we do, we need him." Lydia pleaded. " _Ryan_ needs him."

"His baby needs him." Chris threw out in a low tone. "His family _needs_ him."

"Your deputy won't kill the Beast." The voice argued.

"Neither will you." Lydia took a step closer to the machine. "I'm a harbinger of death too. I know people are going to die and if you do _not_ let Parrish in, he _will_ die too. You'll die! You have a chance with Parrish, you need him."

Lydia had her hands pressed against the glass and her face mere inches from the surface.

"Lydia, tell him to remember." Chris instructed and found his own thoughts drifting to the young blonde nurse at the hospital, the very nurse that had found herself in love with none other than Deputy Jordan Parrish. He needed to get the man back, he needed to see the deputy again, and not just for the town, but because he knew that if Jordan Parrish was truly gone, if he was truly dead, then Ryan Sloane's heart would be shattered into a millions pieces.

And that was something that Chris had felt once before. It was something he'd never wish upon anyone.

"What?" Lydia turned to look at him.

"Tell him to remember the moment Parrish died." Gerard commanded.

"When did he die?" Lydia asked, turning her attention back towards Jordan.

"When I was born."

Chris took a small step forward but his eyes never left Jordan's face as he began thrashing from side to side. The man inside the box was struggling to hold himself together and when he opened his mouth, letting out an obnoxious roar, Lydia flung herself away from the machine. It began to shake and move on the hard concrete floor but Chris never moved.

The roaring continued but when it stopped, the very door holding the deputy, and the cold, inside broke open, sending Jordan spiralling towards the floor. Lydia surged forward and wrapped her arms around his upper body, keeping him relatively upright and stopping him from collapsing to the ground. She pushed him backwards and leaned his back against the edge of the machine.

"Are you all right?" Lydia questioned softly and gave him a quick once over.

"I know who I am. I know what I have to do." Jordan answered panting. His voice had returned to normal and his eyes were no longer glowing. "I have to leave."

"You…what?' Lydia pressed but Jordan's eyes were locked on the space in front of him.

"I have to get out of here."

"Maybe you don't, maybe there's another way." Chris spoke up, drawing everyone's attention towards him. Jordan slowly but surely made his way to his feet and at the sight of the struggling deputy, he pulled his phone out to check for a response from Ryan, yet there was nothing there, no text response, no missed calls, nothing.

Chris' worry for the woman was only increasing with each minute that passed without a response but it wasn't his place to do anything about it, no, that job belonged to Jordan. With a shake of his head, he turned towards his father and tucked his phone back into his pocket.

"You need to know more about your enemy." Gerard stated.

"Like what?"

"Where it all began…" The older hunter trailed off and Chris found himself agreeing with his father for the first time in a long, _long_ , time. "Many, _many_ years ago, there was a man who had written a letter."

"A letter? You're going to help me find another way by telling me about a letter?" Jordan shook his head in disbelief.

"Not just any letter, a letter describing the very beast we're dealing with, the Beast of Gevaudan." Chris supplied.

"That letter would eventually find its way into the hands of a young woman, a skilled hunter who would later face the Beast armed with nothing but a steel-tipped pike." Gerard explained. "She would be known by history as the Maid of Gevaudan, but her real name was Marie-Jeanne."

Gerard took off for the opposite side of the room where he paused and looked over a table, a table containing a few historical books. Jordan fought off the urge to sigh and watched as Gerard nabbed one of the books from off the table, flipping through the pages while he moved back over towards Jordan, Chris and Lydia.

Before anyone could voice any questions they had, Gerard set the book down on the table near them and tapped his index finger against the top of the page, just over a picture of a woman with a large spear pointed directly at the heart of a giant, grotesque looking canine. The caption below the picture read 'Statue in Auvers, Haute-Loire of Marie-Jeanne Valet and the Beast of Gevaudan'.

"Maybe someone should resurrect her." Jordan remarked, and then turned on his heels, making a beeline for the exit.

"Don't leave." Lydia protested and he stopped dead in his tracks, just inside the door.

"My dreams aren't like yours, Lydia. I'm not just a harbinger of death. I'm the cause of it." Jordan replied sadly, a look of utter desperation in his eyes. Without another word, he took off, heading for the door to leave, not skipping a step at all.

"Jordan-" Lydia called out and made a move to go after him but Gerard stepped closer to her, stopping her in her tracks too.

"Let him go." Gerard growled.

"Why?" Lydia turned back towards them and took a calculated step in the direction of the table.

"Because as much as we believe Parrish could take on the Beast, neither of us think he's our only hope at stopping it." Chris explained.

"What do you mean?" Lydia asked.

"We think there's another." Chris answered and Gerard began stalking closer to her, moving out from the shadows.

"You." Gerard proclaimed and took in the look of sheer confusion on her face. Chris made a move to check his phone one more time and this time when he freed it from his back pocket, he took note that there was a response from the very woman in question. "Is that the nurse?"

"Ryan?" Lydia cocked her head to the side. "You know Ryan?"

Chris gave them both a nod of his head and looked at her response, his stomach dropping at her words; 'at the hospital, something happened to the baby'. Lydia sucked in a breath and took a step closer to Chris, trying to peer at the phone in an attempt to see what had his eyes so wide in shock.

"We need to stop him from leaving." Chris stated. "We need to keep him in Beacon Hills."

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Do you guys think he should leave still or should he stay, for Ryan?_**

 ** _CarleighAlpha: oh no, I didn't mean to rip anyone's heart out :(_**

 ** _animelover78861: Ryan's just go the worst luck huh. Jordan...hmm...what will he think...I guess we'll just have to wait and see_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Oh no! No more broken hearts!_**

 ** _alleycat023: I'm sorry, I didn't me to make you cry in the corner!_**


	85. Chapter 85

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 _ **Chapter 85** **:**_

There hadn't been too many times in Ken Robertson's life when he had witnessed his own baby girl lying in a hospital bed but the sight of Ryan hooked up to all sorts of machines, laying on a worn old mattress in nothing more than a hospital gown and a blanket over her bottom half would never be something he'd get comfortable with. If it hadn't been for Kylie, who had practically launched herself at Ryan as soon as she laid eyes on her, then Ken would've remained standing in the doorway, speechless as he took in the sight of his daughter fighting back the urge to cry.

Her eyes were already red and her skin was blotchy, a sure fire sign that she had been crying before he had arrived, but he knew that she was trying to hold it together for Kylie's sake. He'd be doing the exact same thing if he was in her position. Kylie was too little to understand the devastation attached to the situation and having her worry about her mother for no real reason at all wasn't worth the trouble. There were a lot of things that parents did to protect their children and this time Ken didn't blame Ryan at all for trying to keep herself together.

"Mommy." Kylie whined and hopped on her feet at the side of the hospital bed. Ryan turned slightly to face her and offered the little girl a hand but Ken surged forward and hauled the girl up before Ryan had a chance to strain her body. "Are you dying?"

"No." Ryan shook her head and even smiled a tiny bit at her daughter's assumption. "I'm not dying Kylie."

"Then why are you in the hospital?" Kylie pressed and Ken shot his daughter a wave before taking a seat in the vacant chair next to her bed. "Did you hurt yourself? Did you break something?"

"No Ky-pie, I didn't hurt myself and I definitely didn't break anything." Ryan could no longer contain the smile on her face and when Kylie let out a soft sigh of relief, curling up against her side, she felt her entire body relaxing. So she had lost the baby, while it still hurt, she knew that the most important thing at that moment was the daughter that she already had.

Ryan knew that Kylie would be worried, and scared, and more than a little bit confused over the whole situation, but overall Ryan would be fine. She had to go in for a minor procedure the first thing the next morning, and then, after a little while longer in the hospital, mostly for monitoring purposes, she'd be let out to go home and probably back to work quite soon after. There wasn't anything to really worry about, especially when it came to the toddler's speculations as to why she was in the hospital to start with.

If everything went smoothly, no one would even have time to miss her from the hospital.

"Your mom has to have a little bit of surgery, but it's just a tiny little procedure. She'll be fine, totally fine." Ken spoke up from his position on the chair. "She'll be home before you know it and until she _does_ get home, you get to spend time with me. We even get to have a sleepover, doesn't that sound like fun?"

Kylie looked between her mother and her grandfather and when she caught sight of both of the adults smiling, she smiled too, beaming up at her mother as she let out a contented sigh and cuddled up against her side a wee bit further. Ryan's arm came around her shoulders and gave her a reassuring squeeze, letting her know without words that everything would be okay.

"Mommy, you can stay here as long as you want because I like sleepovers with grandpa." Kylie stated and when Ryan let out a bark of laughter, Ken couldn't help but join her. "He takes good care of me."

"I know he does." Ryan bowed her head and carefully lifted her hand up, running her fingers through Kylie's bright blonde hair. "And I know that you almost always behave for him too."

"I do." Kylie nodded her head furiously, a giant smile of pride still very present on her face.

"Why is that exactly? Why do you behave better for him than for me?" Ryan baited and Kylie tipped her head back, peering up at her mother with wide eyes as she contemplated the answer she wanted to give to the question that she was asked.

"It's because he's old. Duh." Kylie stared at Ryan as though she were totally oblivious but once the words were out of her mouth, neither Ryan or Ken could stop the laughter from coming out.

Ken scooted his chair closer to the bed and once he was within reach, he set his palm over Ryan's knee and gave it a gentle, soothing squeeze to let her know that he was right there with her; no matter what, Ryan would always be _his_ little girl, and he was going to do whatever he could to protect her.

"Good to know." Ryan said, an amused tone to her voice. She peered over at her father, who was trying hard to stifle a grin, but it was no use: Kylie had clearly entertained them all. "So long as you behave for grandpa, who am I to complain about the reason."

Kylie let out a huff and settled in against Ryan's side, even going as far as to rest her head against her chest. Ryan's hand absent-mindedly stroked Kylie's hair and before too long, Kylie was nearly limp against her side from the soothing ministrations. When Ken met Ryan's eyes though, he knew that there were things that needed to be talked about, things that Ryan needed to tell him, and with Kylie right there with them, he figured that Ryan wouldn't necessarily want to bring them up.

When Melissa McCall wandered into the room though, decked out in her scrubs, the old man realized the opportunity that had presented itself. Melissa was a good person, she was a good mother and he knew from the past few years that she was a good friend to his daughter.

"How are you doing?" Melissa questioned and hesitantly wandered into the room, her eyes locked on Ryan but nonetheless, she was very aware of Ken and Kylie but her primary focus was on her friend.

"Fine, for the most part." Ryan answered with a small shrug.

"That's good to hear." Melissa nodded her head and continued moving so that she came to stand next to Ryan, gently placing a hand on her shoulders. "I'm sorry about what happened."

"Me too." Ryan dropped her gaze down to her feet and sucked in a nervous breath. Blowing the breath out, she slowly brought her eyes back up to meet Melissa's. "Do you think you could just watch Kylie for a few minutes so I can talk to my dad alone?"

Melissa took a few seconds to consider the request but nodded her head yes in response. Without hesitating, she dropped down onto the edge of the bed and waited for Kylie to look at her. Once the toddler's focus was locked on Melissa, she smiled at the little girl and waved her forward.

"Why don't we go see about getting you a snack?" Melissa offered and Kylie looked between Melissa and her mother, Ryan giving her an encouraging nod before Kylie scurried towards the edge of the bed next to the older nurse where she sat for a couple of seconds before dropping her feet down to the floor. "Maybe even some juice."

"Can I have chocolate?" Kylie peered up at the older nurse with a wistful look and when Ryan let out a chuckle, the little girl shied away from everyone's gaze.

"Yes you can have chocolate." Ryan piped up and without having to be asked, Ken produced his wallet from his back pocket, handing Melissa a crisp five dollar bill for use in the vending machines that he had noticed down the hall on the way in. Melissa gladly took the money, then she took Kylie's hand, and together, the two of them ventured out into the hallway, disappearing from Ryan's line of sight.

Ken moved from the chair to the edge of the bed and when Ryan leaned against his side, he lifted his legs up and set them on the bed, crossing them at the ankles and slipping his arm around his daughter's shoulders. She let out a giant sigh and rested her head against his shoulder, gripping his bicep with her hands and clinging to him.

"Where's the deputy?" Ken questioned and turned his head slightly in order to look at her face, a sad expression taking over where her smile had been not even ten seconds earlier. "He busy with work?"

"I don't know." She offered up with a slight shrug. "He hasn't answered his phone at all since last night when he left the house and I haven't heard from him since then."

She had specifically neglected to mention the reason why he had left the night before and the fact that his phone was actually tucked into the drawer on the nightstand in her bedroom. While there was a lot that she wished her father knew, most of it involving the supernatural, he wasn't ready for any of it, not just yet anyways.

"Where did he go last night?" Ken pressed, anxious to help his daughter find the man who had fathered his second grandchild. "Was he at work or something?"

"Yeah, something like that. But I mean, I didn't want to bother anyone at the station, I figured he'd call me when he could, he's probably busy right now." She answered. "He doesn't know dad."

"That you lost the baby?"

"No." She shook her head. "He has no idea and I don't know where he is. Even if I did though, I don't want to _have_ to tell him that I lost our baby, I just…this sucks."

Ken didn't respond right away, instead, he leaned down and pressed a gentle, reassuring kiss against the crown of Ryan's head. What was he supposed to do, or say, to make her feel better? It wasn't like he could magically bring back the child that she had lost, nor could he make Jordan reappear in her life at that exact moment, all he knew how to do was to look out for his daughter and granddaughter the best way that he knew how.

"It totally sucks." Ken threw in, agreeing with Ryan one hundred percent. "And if I see Jordan, I'll send him your way and I won't mention losing the baby to him. I know you don't _want_ to tell him but it's something that he should hear from you."

"I appreciate that." Ryan whispered. "I'm scared that he'll be mad at me."

"How could he ever be mad at you, especially for something that's not even your fault?" Ken countered and gave her shoulders a little squeeze. "And if he is mad at you, for whatever stupid reason he might have, you let me know and I'll teach him a lesson. You know, your old man packed quite the punch back in the day and even though I've got a few years on me, I bet I can still manage to do some damage."

Ryan stifled a snort but her body relaxed against his and she let her eyes fall shut in a dire attempt to keep the tears at bay. The baby was gone, things with Jordan were more confusing than ever, and here was her very own father threatening to give the man she loved an ass-kicking for the ages; well wasn't that just something that Ryan was glad to hear.

"Don't hurt him too bad." She mumbled and when Ken snorted at her, she let out a laugh. "Thanks for looking after Kylie dad."

"You don't have to thank me Ry-pie." He plastered a reassuring smile onto his face. "You and her mean the world to me and I'd do anything for the two of you. I love that little girl with my whole entire heart and I love you just as much."

"We love you too." Ryan murmured and ran her hands up his arm. "Thank you, for being the best dad in the world."

"Now I know you're just kissing up." Ken teased and managed to get Ryan to smile, even if it was just barely noticeable. "You'll be okay Ry, you're stronger than you think."

She nodded her understanding of what he had said and remained silent in the bed next to him. As much as she wanted to talk to Jordan, to make sure he was okay, part of her wanted him to stay away so that he didn't have to face the harsh reality that the baby hadn't made it. Opening her mouth to say something, Ryan felt her heart constricting at the thought that maybe if she had just been a little more careful, a little less stressed, then the baby would've stood a better chance, maybe they could've lived the happily ever after that she had played out in her head time and time again.

When Kylie's excited voice echoed in the hallway outside, Ryan tipped her head back and peered up at her dad, forcing a smile onto her face. He leaned down towards her, closing the distance between their faces, and pressed anther kiss to the top of her head in an attempt to soothe her.

"Mommy!" Kylie called out from the doorway and Melissa appeared right behind her, a chocolate bar in her hands while Kylie clung to a bottle of orange juice. "Look what Melissa got for me."

Kylie scurried into the room and tossed the juice onto the bed next to Ryan's legs, then she grabbed the edge of the mattress and struggled to haul herself upwards. Melissa moved forwards and gave the tot a helping hand and once Kylie was up on the bed next to Ryan's legs, she beamed at her mother and extended the plastic bottle of juice towards her.

"What do you say to Melissa Ky-pie?" Ryan prompted and Kylie turned her attention to the older nurse.

"Thank you very much." Kylie beamed and Melissa smiled back at her in response.

"You're very welcome." Melissa nodded her head. "If you need me Ry, you let me know but I have to get back to work now."

"Okay, thanks Melissa." Ryan forced a smile onto her face and shifted on the bed as Kylie snuggled up beside her. "For everything."

"No worries." Melissa waved a hand in the air and smiled at each and every person in the room before turning back out into the hallway and disappearing from their line of sight. Ryan looked from her little girl tucked against her side, to her father sitting on her other side and let out a sigh. This was her family, these were the people she loved with all of her heart, and if they were who she was stuck with, then she considered herself one of the luckiest people in the world.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

It wasn't like Jordan had too many options, he could stay in Beacon Hills, sure, but what would that mean for everyone else around him? What would that mean for not only Scott and his pack but for Ryan, Kylie and Ken; his family? Would they survive if he left Beacon Hills?

He didn't know, but he didn't want to chance it. Whatever he was, whatever this hellhound part of him wanted, Jordan wasn't entirely confident in his ability to keep control around those that he loved. He didn't want to hurt Ryan, he definitely didn't want to hurt Kylie, so in his head, the best option that he had was to pack up and leave until things blew over.

Leaving Ryan, leaving his family, wasn't going to be easy, not by a long shot. Jordan knew that walking away would rip him to pieces and he knew that it'd break Ryan's heart too, but it was the only thing that made sense. If he ever made it back to Beacon Hills, he'd explain everything to her and pray that she'd forgive him, but that was a bridge that he'd cross when he got there.

For now he had to let the sheriff know that he wasn't going to be sticking around to help. With his gun in one hand and his badge in the other, Jordan slipped into the sheriff's office and stole a quick look around. He took in the sight of the pictures and notes tacked to the board behind his desk and shook his head, knowing that most of the cases that the deputies were investigating would most likely never be solved.

The supernatural ran too deep and it wasn't like the sheriff could just let everyone know that it existed, what sort of anarchy would that bring to the town, what sort of chaos would that bring upon Jordan?

A shudder coursed through his body and he closed in on the sheriff's desk, gently placing his badge down onto the surface of it next to his gun. With a soft sigh and a heavy heart, Jordan headed out of the office and paused in the doorway, stealing one last look at the badge that had made the last little bit of his life worth living.

He wanted to be a deputy, he wanted to stick around, but not if he was just going to pose a threat to others involved. Was it so much to ask to be normal? To come into work and do a job that he was meant to do without interference from the supernatural side of things? Jordan sucked in a breath and carried on, heading through the rest of the station as he made his way to the front door.

There were still a few things left for him to do, a few things for him to grab from the house, plus he wanted to leave a note for Ryan at the very least.

Jordan surged forward and stepped outside, heading for the sidewalk in front of the station. Once his feet were on solid concrete, he started heading for home, wondering how long it would actually take him to walk. It wasn't like he had ever walked home before and although the town was small, he hadn't ever tried to gauge the distance.

Was being alone with his thoughts while he walked something that he wanted to do though? Did he want time to creep up on him, did he want to start thinking about staying versus leaving? Surely Ryan would understand, she'd have to understand, but did that mean he was going to be able to leave her without knowing when, or even _if_ , he'd ever come back to her?

She was pregnant, she was carrying their baby, and Jordan squeezed his eyes shut at the thought of leaving her all alone to go through the rest of her pregnancy. Would things let up before she actually went into labour? Would he be able to come back in time to witness the miracle of his child's birth?

Was leaving worth giving all of that up?

"God dammit." He cursed and picked up his pace a little bit, hoping that the sooner he got back to the house, the sooner he could leave and no longer second guess the decision that he had made. This was the best solution, this was the option that had the best possible outcome in his mind. It didn't make it hurt any less.

Without thinking too much more, Jordan broke into a jog before pressing ahead towards home. The run was quicker than he anticipated and as soon as he laid his eyes on the driveway, he spotted not only his vehicle but Ken's truck as well.

Well that was something he wasn't expecting, why was Ryan's dad at the house? In fact, why was Ryan's car in the driveway too?

If Ryan had been called into work, that would mean that she'd have the car with her, but yet, it was right in the driveway, in front of Ken's truck. That was weird, but then again, Ken was Ryan's father, maybe he had just stopped by for a visit?

Jordan slowed his pace down as he hit the end of the driveway and he wandered up to the front door of the house, praying that it was unlocked. He didn't have his keys with him and he didn't want to have to ring the doorbell to his own place, that would just be embarrassing. As he mounted the front step, Jordan reached his hand out and squeezed the handle, pressing it down and leaning into the door.

When it creaked open, he let out a soft sigh of relief and stepped inside, hoping that everything was okay.

"Who's there!?" Ken's voice boomed from the other room and Jordan was quick to step inside the house, flipping the door shut behind him as he did so. He raised his hands and headed in the direction of the living room, which is where Ken's voice had come from.

"Just me." Jordan said in response and he stepped into the older man's line of view. Ken was sitting bolt upright on the couch, Kylie tucked against his side and upon closer inspection, she appeared to be sleeping. Okay, so Kylie was home, with her grandpa, but where was Ryan?

Glancing back from where Jordan had just come from, he made a mental note that all of the other lights in the house were off, except for the one in the living room. He turned his attention back to Ken, who was gently slipping away from Kylie, and once the older man was on his feet, he motioned for Jordan to back it up.

"You've got a lot of explaining to do deputy." Ken growled but ushered Jordan back into the front hallway. "Starting with why you haven't answered your phone."

"My phone?" Jordan cocked his head sideways and when Ken motioned towards the bottom of the stairs, Jordan narrowed his eyes in on him, a confused expression etched on his face.

"Take a seat."

"What are you talking about, who's been trying to call me, wait-" Jordan looked around the front hall again frantically and tried to locate any sign of Ryan being in the house with them. Her car had been in the driveway, which meant that she had to be inside, yet there was no sign of her and here he was being interrogated by her father. "Where's Ryan?"

"She's at the hospital." Ken answered hesitantly. "You'd know that if you answered your phone."

"Why's she at the hospital?" Jordan's body went rigid at the idea that he had somehow managed to hurt her, to harm her while he had been off running amuck during the night. Had he burned her? Had he wounded her?

"Maybe this is something you should be talking to her face to face about." Ken's eyes immediately softened and Jordan's heart began hammering in his chest. Ryan was in the hospital, she wasn't home and he didn't know why. "I think maybe you should head on over to the hospital."

"But I have to leave." Jordan countered, the words escaping him before he could consider the consequences of saying them out loud.

"You have to leave?" Ken narrowed his eyes in on Jordan, who visibly flinched at the older man's intense glare. "What do you mean by that?"

Jordan held his breath and tried to come up with a reasonable explanation. Ken still had no idea that there were supernatural creatures running around Beacon Hills and frankly, Jordan didn't want to be the one to have to explain it to him, no that was something that he'd be much more comfortable letting Ryan do. But how else was he going to get away with actually taking off, leaving this man's daughter all alone while she was pregnant, with _his_ child?

"It's safer for everyone if I leave." Jordan whispered and dropped his gaze downwards, looking at his feet instead of at Ken. "I'm dangerous to Ryan, _and_ Kylie and once the baby gets here, I'll be dangerous to them too."

"I don't…" Ken started to respond but let his sentence trail off. Jordan peered up at him, waiting for the man to speak, but the pain filled look in his eyes threw Jordan completely for a loop. "Do you even have your phone on you?"

Jordan did a quick pat down of himself but shook his head no, "it might be upstairs."

"Go get it." Ken waved a hand at Jordan, who took off up the stairs without hesitating.

He made it to the top in record time and made a break for the bedroom, erupting through the door and hitting the light switch on as he passed by. Rushing towards the nightstand on his side of the bed, he pulled open the drawer and looked down at the very device in question, the screen flashing with over ten missed calls, all from Ryan.

Jordan nabbed the cell phone in his hand and ran back out of the bedroom without bothering to shut the drawer or turn off the light. This was it, this was what Ken needed him to get and now that he had the device in his possession, the missed calls blinking on the screen, Jordan felt his heart nearly skip a beat. Hopping back down the stairs, he came to a stop in front of Ken, who had his arms crossed over his board chest, a solemn expression on his face.

"You best listen to the voicemails and then get your ass to the hospital." Ken leveled Jordan with a pointed look and Jordan robotically nodded his head yes. Without saying another word, Ken retreated back into the living room, leaving Jordan all alone in the front hall with his phone in his hand.

Pressing the buttons to bring up his voicemail, Jordan lifted the phone up to his ear and listened to the last message that Ryan had left him.

' _Jordan, I lost it, I lost the baby…'_

The message had ended with her breaking into sobs and suddenly the idea of leaving Beacon Hills seemed like the worst thing ever. He needed to be with Ryan, he needed to stay with her, but wait- what if he was part of the reason that she had lost the baby, what if he had put her in harm's way?

"If you're planning on leaving," Ken called out and gave Jordan a few seconds in order to make sure he was paying attention, "then you need to at least say goodbye to my little girl, lest you want an ass-kicking all the way to Timbuktu, and I don't care if you're a deputy, a trained soldier or the king of the god damn world."

"On it!" Jordan yelled back to him, grabbed the keys to his SUV off the hook nearby and took off out the front door. He wasn't even going to bother listening to the rest of the messages, they didn't matter, Ryan had told him all he needed to know with the last one.

All he had to do was get to her and make sure that she was okay.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Well...?_**


	86. Chapter 86

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 _ **Chapter 86** **:**_

"Melissa McCall!" Jordan called out as soon as he stepped into the front doors of the hospital.

He had his eyes locked on the woman in question and without warning, Jordan broke out into a jog, tucking the car keys into the pocket on his sweater. Melissa turned to face the front doors and her eyes widened at the sight of him, but Jordan was undeterred. He needed her help, he needed Melissa to tell him where to find Ryan because all Ken had said was that she was at the hospital.

Well the hospital was a pretty big place and he didn't really have any idea where to start, not until he had laid his eyes on the very woman standing in front of him, waiting for him to get close enough so that they could speak to each other without having to yell. She didn't move, she barely budged and when Jordan came to a stop right next to her, she forced a smile onto her face and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that you want to know where Ryan is, am I right?"

"Uh," Jordan stumbled over what to say; part of him had wanted to be polite and ask her how she was, but another part of him was desperate to get to Ryan and make sure she was okay, "yes, please tell me you know where I can find her."

"She's up a floor." Melissa dropped her gaze down to the tiles. "Come on, I can take you right to her, this way you can bypass any security guards and I get a few minutes away from the emergency department."

"Sounds good." Jordan nodded in agreement and Melissa dropped her arms away from her chest before waving him forward. She fell into an easy pace and bypassed the elevator hallway completely, instead, she opted to pull open the door to the stairs.

Jordan mounted them right behind her and let her lead him to Ryan. If she was the person willing to help him, then he was going to be grateful and he wasn't going to push her to move faster. Melissa was already heading up the stairs quicker than he would've anticipated but if it had been up to him, he would've taken them at a run, just to get to Ryan in record time.

When they reached the first floor landing, she pulled the door open and ushered him into the wide hallway before taking the lead back away from him. Without saying a word, she headed down the hall and turned right, stopping only when she was standing outside of one of the rooms on the left side. Lifting her hand up, she set her palm against the edge of the doorframe and looked directly at Jordan, but he was already looking inside the room, oblivious to Melissa's eyes on him.

"Be gentle with her." Melissa murmured and removed her hand from the doorframe, opting to give him a gentle pat on the back before retreating back to the stairwell.

Jordan lingered outside of the room and peered in at Ryan, who was lying motionless in the bed, her eyes were shut and the lights were dim, but he could see her clearly. Taking a few seconds to study her, he searched for any injuries that she could've sustained while he had been away from her but yet, he couldn't find anything wrong with her, at least not to the naked eye.

He knew better than a lot of people that serious injuries could easily be sustained internally and he wasn't going to rule anything out, not until he spoke to Ryan and had her tell him with her own words that she was okay.

Sucking in a breath and tucking his hands into his pockets, he cautiously wandered into the room, peering all around to make sure that they were alone. He didn't want to disturb her if she was hurting but as soon as he moved closer to her, he peered at her face and took note that she looked almost peaceful.

Why was she in the hospital to start with?

"Ryan?" He murmured and lowered his butt down to the edge of her bed, untucking his hands from inside his pockets. He hesitantly reached out and set his palm on her wrist, feeling her skin and gauging her temperature, which was relatively normal as far as he could tell. It didn't concern him, she felt warm enough, but he still didn't know why she was even in the hospital to start with. In fact, he didn't even know what floor she was on, which would've maybe been a big help in determining what was wrong with her. "Ryan?"

He put a slight bit of pressure on her wrist and felt her move the tiniest bit under his touch. Leaning in closer to her, he ran his hand up her arm and across her shoulders, pressing his palm against the opposite side of her neck. As he ran his thumb back and forth over her soft skin, he watched her eyes flutter open and when she was awake, maybe not fully alert but awake, he forced a smile onto his face.

Immediately her eyes welled up with tears and she turned her body towards his, trying desperately to grab hold of his hand. Jordan lifted his free arm up and offered her his hand so that she didn't have to struggle too much to get what she wanted. Once she had his fingers intertwined with hers, she let out a soft sigh and rested her head against his shoulder.

"You okay?" He asked in a hushed tone, readjusting the hold he had on her hand so that his fingers were in a more comfortable arrangement. "Your dad told me you were in the hospital but he didn't say why."

"I know." She murmured and kept her eyes locked on their hands resting against his upper thigh. "I guess I'm okay, I mean, there's nothing major going on with me, wait, no, that's not entirely true."

"Ryan, you can tell me what's happening."

"I have to go in for surgery tomorrow, it's nothing life threatening or anything." She stated and gripped his hand harder, so much harder that her knuckles were just starting to turn white. "I uh, I went for an ultrasound earlier but the girl couldn't find the baby's heartbeat."

Jordan stiffened up beside her and let out a grunt. She reluctantly tipped her head back and met his eyes but he still didn't say anything, nor did he move. It wasn't like she knew the protocol for a situation such as this particular one, and she wasn't going to push him to say anything to her, especially when it was clear he was processing what she had just confessed.

"So, what exactly does that mean?" Jordan spoke but his voice was barely audible. Ryan let out a sigh and gave her head a slight shake. "There's no more baby then?"

"No." She breathed the word out. "There's no more baby. That's what the surgery is for tomorrow, I have a D and C scheduled."

"A what?"

"Basically they're going to go in a clean me out." She explained in easy-to-understand terms. "I miscarried apparently."

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry Ry-"

"Don't be." She cut him off with a shake of her head. "It's not your fault, it's no one's fault. It was just something that couldn't be stopped."

"Ryan still, I'm sorry that you have to go through all this." Jordan threw in and she took her bottom lip in between her teeth in a nervous gesture. "And I'm sorry that I wasn't with you earlier, I should've been there for you, I should've been right next to you-"

"It's fine." She broke in but already she could feel the tears welling up in her eyes yet again. This was hard to say to him, to admit out loud, but she knew that he had to know what happened. They weren't going to have a baby together, not yet at least, and maybe they'd get another chance in the future but at that very moment, Ryan didn't know if that was something she even wanted to consider.

What was stopping another miscarriage from happening? Hell, maybe they just weren't meant to have a child together. Maybe there was something in Jordan's DNA that meant he wasn't a compatible person to reproduce with. There were too many things weighing on her mind that could go wrong and for the moment, she just wanted to get through the loss of their baby.

"It's not fine." He argued but there was absolutely no conviction to his tone. "I'm supposed to be the man who loves you and instead I'm off on my own doing things that a normal human being shouldn't even be doing. You deserve better, you know that, don't you?"

"Maybe." She squeaked in response. "But I don't want better, I just want you."

Jordan shifted his butt on the bed and maneuvered himself so that he was turned slightly towards her, drawing her in against his chest as he enveloped her in a warm, soothing embrace. She blew out a breath and relaxed against him, curling into his chest and letting him hold her tight while she struggled to come to grips with the idea that she was no longer pregnant.

"Ryan," Jordan forced her name out but stopped himself from going any further. There were things that he needed to say, something he had to admit to her that he wasn't exactly looking forward to, but he still had to leave Beacon Hills. He had seen too much when he had been locked inside the machine at the Argents place and whether or not Ryan needed him wasn't going to change the fact that if he left the town, then maybe more people would manage to survive.

He'd come back eventually but he didn't know when and she had to know that, she had to understand that he was doing it for the greater good.

It wasn't something he wanted to do, but it was something he _had_ to do.

"Where were you?" She quipped but she didn't look up at him to meet his eyes, instead, she just stayed focused on whatever it was she had been looking at when he had hugged her against him. "Last night, Chris said he lost you. Where were you, where did you go?"

"I went after the beast." He answered softly. "I don't remember much but when I finally came to, I was hiding out in the library. Lydia found me and took me to Chris."

"Did you hurt anyone?" She pressed and made a move to tip her head back. When her eyes met his, he felt his heart break at the sight of tears filling her eyes and blurring her vision.

"I don't think so." He shook his head. "Just you."

"You didn't hurt me." She countered but he gave her a rough squeeze.

"I did, I left you alone and here you are, dealing with this all by yourself." He admitted. "Ryan, I can't stay here, if I do, people won't be safe."

He was anticipating an argument, a fight even, but she didn't make a sound, not to agree, not to object; she was just silent. Eventually, after a few lingering minutes of silent, she let out a soft sigh and loosened the hold she had on his hand.

"Just promise that you'll come back to me." She murmured. "Promise me."

"I promise that I'll come back." He said firmly and she let go of his hand all together. "I'm so sorry Ryan, I swear I'll make it up to you."

"It's okay." She shook her head. "It's okay."

Jordan leaned forward and closed the distance between them, pressing a sweet kiss against her lips. She didn't try to deepen it, nor did she pull away first, but when Jordan gently cupped the back of her head, she let his passion take over. He leaned into her and when he finally pulled away, both of them struggling to breathe easy, she ghosted her fingertips across his jaw.

"You need me." He remarked in a low tone. "Just tell me you need me and I'll stay."

"I won't." She shook her head. "If you have to go, then that's what you'll do. I want you here, _so_ bad, but I don't need you to stay."

"Ryan-"

"I love you, with all of my heart and even though it's broken right now, I'll never stop loving you." She confessed and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "You do what you need to do and no matter what, I'll be right here waiting for you."

"I love you too Ry and I'm so sorry about our baby." He said.

"Me too."

Jordan sucked in a deep breath and pressed yet another kiss to her lips, this time lingering a little longer than he should have. She relaxed into the bed once he pulled away and watched his every move as he carefully climbed off the covers, planting his feet on the ground, before stepping towards the door.

Pausing just inside, he turned back to her and caught sight of her swiping the tears away from her cheeks. She forced a smile onto her face and watched him until he was gone, Jordan pressing his back against the wall outside of her room.

He sucked in a breath, closed his eyes for a second and brought to mind the reasons why he was leaving; he was going to protect the people of Beacon Hills, he was going to protect Ryan and Kylie.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

All he wanted to do was get the hell out of Beacon Hills as fast as he could before he decided that maybe Ryan meant more to him than keeping other people safe. She was his girlfriend, the woman that he loved, and currently the only real family that he had, but yet here he was, driving away from her as fast as he could in his SUV.

What was he thinking? What had been so important that he get out of town and leave her all alone in the hospital to face the loss of their child by herself?

She had said she understood though, she hadn't told him that she needed him, that was why he hadn't stayed in the first place. All she had to say to make him stay was 'Jordan, I need you', but she hadn't. She hadn't needed him when he left and he had bigger things to worry about.

If he got out of Beacon Hills, if he could just get away from the town that had once drawn him in, then maybe he could save lives, lives which could potentially include the Sloane family.

He was dangerous, there was no denying that, but it wasn't like he had hurt her before, not while he was a hellhound anyways. Ryan was strong though, she was capable of taking care of herself, especially if he was only planning to leave temporarily. He'd be back for her in the future, it was just that he didn't know how far into the future that would be.

Days, weeks, maybe months or years until he felt comfortable heading back to the one place that he felt safe calling home, back to the woman he loved and her child, the very child that adored him to pieces. Jordan would never deny that he didn't feel the same way about Kylie; oh yes, the little girl was just icing on the cake for him, a ready made family that he fit flawlessly with.

Well no, that wasn't true, there was one flaw, he was a hellhound, a supernatural creature who wasn't totally in control of himself all the time. That was a problem for them all and Jordan wasn't going to treat it like it wasn't a big deal. He had the ability to hurt them and that was something that he never wanted to happen. Ryan and Kylie were his life, his family, the ones that he didn't want to harm, yet it wasn't like he could remember every hour of every day. There were nights that were a total blur to him where he _had_ hurt people, thankfully it hadn't been either Ryan or Kylie, but what was stopping him from going after them next?

He lived with them, he inhabited the same house and slept in the same bed as Ryan. He wandered the same halls as Kylie, shared the same living space. He had already scared the living daylights out of the girl once because he had come home so late and that had been enough for Jordan. The look of sheer terror on her face was something that still haunted him, reminding him almost daily that he wasn't always himself.

When he had gotten in the machine at the Argents place, something inside of him had snapped, something dark and dangerous, and now more than ever, Jordan was fearful of bringing harm to the two girls who had done nothing but loved and supported him.

"What am I doing?" Jordan hissed and shook his head. Without thinking, he lifted his hand up and slammed the palm onto the steering wheel, feeling the impact on his skin as he did so. What had he been thinking, why had he left Ryan without putting up more of a fight for her to need him?

She had always been a little bit stubborn and he knew that Cole played a big part in that, but Jordan had made it clear that he had never intended to take the man's place. In all honesty, she _had_ been fine before he had come along but now that he was ingrained in her life, there wasn't anywhere else he wanted to be.

His foot pressed down harder onto the gas pedal and Jordan felt the SUV lurching forward, moving faster down the slick road as he travelled further and further towards the outskirts of town. The sooner he got out of there, the better off he'd be and the less likely that he'd turn around and go right back to Ryan.

Ryan, it all seemed to come back to Ryan. If he had never gone after her then he never would've fallen in love and he wouldn't have found himself in a situation where he wanted nothing more than to curl up next to the woman he loved and spend minute after minute telling her how truly amazing she was. She was the light at the end of the tunnel for him, all he had to do was make it there.

His eyes were locked on the road in front of him but by the time he saw the anomaly on the pavement, it was too late. Even when he slammed his foot down, it wasn't enough. The vehicle ran over the spikes in the road and was sent skidding sideways, Jordan keeping his foot firmly on the brake in a dire attempt to stop himself from driving right off the road.

When he _did_ manage to get the SUV stopped, it was sideways in the middle of the road with all four tires now flat. Without hesitating for a second, Jordan popped the door open and hopped out, planting his feet on the wet asphalt and shutting the door behind him, all the while his eyes scoped out the damage to his vehicle. As expected, the front tire was shredded and completely flat, which only served to irritate Jordan to no end. Letting out a huff of frustration, he turned towards the back tire and took note that it looked just as bad as the one on the front.

Marching around to the back of the vehicle, he scanned the road and looked at the reason as to why all of his tires were flat. A strip of spikes was sprawled across the road, the same thing that was used in an attempt to catch criminals who had flown the coup in a fast moving vehicle. Jordan made a move to throw his hands into the air but before he could lift his arms up, a siren sounded out from not too far away, and the familiar red and blue lights of the Beacon Hills sheriff's department reflected off the windows of his own vehicle.

Moving so that his back was against the side of his SUV, Jordan watched as a sheriff's SUV came into his sight from the shadows not all that far away from him.

Was this the work of the sheriff? Had his boss needed him to stick around so badly that he'd resort to using tactics usually reserved for real criminals?

"I don't remember giving you any vacation time." The sheriff called out to him as he casually leaned against his vehicle, the lights on the roof still flashing but the sirens remaining silent. Jordan took a few steps closer to the driver's side, looking down at the ground as he moved and when he reached the door, he turned to face the man in charge.

"Those were new tires." Jordan said gruffly.

"Well, they're scrap rubber, now." The sheriff countered. Remaining where he was, Jordan merely watched as the sheriff wandered closer to him, approaching him calmly and collectedly. "How about I call a tow for you?"

Was this a joke to him? Was the fact that he had ruined all four of his tires just some stroke of inconvenience? Jordan fought off the urge to roll his eyes at his boss- wait, was he still technically his boss?

He had handed over his gun and badge before he had even made it to the house, where Ken had intercepted him, so didn't that mean that he was a free man? He didn't owe anything to the sheriff, in fact, hadn't the sheriff mentioned not giving him time off? Well if he didn't work for him, then he certainly didn't have to worry about vacation, right?

"I'll call one myself." Jordan retorted and turned towards his vehicle. Before he had a chance to open the driver's side door, the sound of another car approaching the scene caught his attention and he turned sideways just in time to witness another pair of headlights closing in on him.

The familiar blue car came to a stop a few feet before the tire spikes and Jordan rolled his eyes at the young, strawberry blonde stepping out from behind the wheel. This was _just_ what he needed- not. Having Lydia show up when he was trying to get away was the last thing that he wanted.

He had just made nice with Ryan, he had said his goodbyes to the woman that he loved, was it too much to ask for everyone else to just leave him alone?

"You're both out of your minds. You know that?" Jordan grumbled but it had no effect on Lydia, who continued to come jogging towards him.

"You can't leave." Lydia protested and she came to a stop in front of him.

"I can't stay, I'm a Hellhound. I have the word, 'hell' in my name. _Hell_." Jordan explained, his voice louder and firmer than he had been intending. They didn't get it, they didn't understand. He needed to go, he needed to leave in order to protect the people that her cared about. Ryan had understood and in time, Kylie would understand too, so why was it so much more difficult for the sheriff, _and_ Lydia Martin, to see that he needed to leave.

"You're also one of my best deputies." The sheriff was quick to add his two cents to the conversation at hand. Jordan fought off the urge to groan at them both.

"You guys don't get it. The bodies I see in my dream are because of me, and there's going be more, a _lot_ more." Jordan continued, hoping that they'd get it, that they'd understand his need to leave.

"I've been predicting death longer than you. The things I've seen and felt- they don't always happen." Lydia argued.

"What if those people die _because_ you didn't stay?" The sheriff suggested.

"Because you weren't there to protect them." Lydia threw in and Jordan felt his heart start to swell at the thought. What if they were right, what if something happened to Ryan, or Kylie, and he hadn't been able to stop it? "You said you were drawn to Beacon Hills, I think you're here for a reason."

Lydia took a few steps closer to him, holding his gaze as he studied her. Did she have a point? Was what she was saying making sense to him? Sure, sure it was, but he hadn't been wrong in what he had seen inside the machine at the Argents. That had been real, it had been in his head, and wasn't it possible that he was right too, that if he left, less people would get hurt?

Jordan wasn't sure he was ready to gamble with the lives of the people he knew and loved, but what the sheriff was saying, what Lydia was saying, it made sense. If he left and, god forbid, something _did_ happen to Ryan, how would he ever be able to live with himself?

"How can you leave when you're going to have a baby?" The sheriff prodded and Jordan bit back the urge to growl at him.

The man had no idea what he was going through, what _Ryan_ was going through, but did he have a point? Did, in some weird, twisted way, the sheriff put a tick in the column for Jordan to stay?

Sure it wasn't like Ryan needed him, she had made sure of that, but did that mean that he shouldn't still stay with her, or remain in town to protect her, even if he found himself to be terribly dangerous?

"There is no more baby." Jordan said softly, a bitter tone to his voice. The sheriff just bowed his head solemnly and took a single step towards him, a blanket of silence falling over them all.

"Hey." The sheriff said eventually, breaking Jordan out of his thoughts. Before he had much of a chance to react, his boss (wait, former boss?) tossed him something shiny and when Jordan nabbed it out of the air, he looked down at his badge, the very same badge that he had set on the man's desk not all that long ago.

Did he owe it to them to stay? With one last fleeting thought of Ryan lying all alone in the hospital bed suffering through the loss of _their_ child, Jordan couldn't help but wonder if maybe the sheriff and Lydia had a point.

Beacons Hills was his to protect just as much as it was theirs.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _CarleighAlpha: oh no, put that heart back in...Ryan's going to be okay...she's got a tough time ahead of her but she's strong. Thank you so much for the review!_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: Ken's a good dad :) thanks for leaving me a review!_**


	87. Chapter 87

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 ** _Chapter 87:_**

The first stop on their list of places to go was Jordan's apartment, where he had been quick to hop in the shower and throw on some clean clothes. Yes, it was already starting to feel like a new day, he wasn't _as_ concerned about what he was going to do just yet, but that didn't mean that he wasn't still unsure about having Lydia and the sheriff stop him from making his way out of town.

Riding in the passenger seat of Lydia's car seemed a little weird though. It wasn't all that long ago that he had been driving his own vehicle at high speeds in an attempt to leave all of the people that he loved and cared for without him in Beacon Hills. It was his idea of protecting them, but the sheriff had put a damper on that plan, plus now Jordan had to figure out what he was going to do about his SUV and the fact that it needed four new tires.

All in all though, maybe his boss was only doing what _he_ believed was right. Maybe the man knew more than Jordan originally thought and that there was something the sheriff was willing to risk in order to keep Jordan from running away.

Except he hadn't been looking at his attempt to leave as running away per say, he was looking at it as a chance to give the people he cared about hope to survive. In his mind, he was the problem, he was the cause of the destruction, and if he could leave before something worse happened, then maybe he would be able to live with himself, and the choices that he had made up until this moment.

As swiftly as he could, he dug into his pocket on his jeans and pulled out his cell phone, glancing at the screen to see if someone had tried to contact him, maybe the sheriff, maybe Ryan had decided to call him and plead with him to stay. Yet there were no missed calls and zero text messages. Letting out a sigh, Jordan tucked the phone back into his pocket and looked out the front window of the car as Lydia turned off the road.

A few minutes later, she pulled into the preserve and the car came to a stop within seconds of reaching the rough terrain. She flashed him a quick glance before freeing the keys from the ignition and popping her door open. Before he had a chance to second-guess what he was doing, Jordan followed her lead, climbing out from the passenger side of her blue car and looking forward, in the same direction that the car was facing.

He stole a look across the roof of the car at her and she met his gaze, holding it for a few seconds before she surged on ahead, Jordan taking off after her. He fell in stride beside her and sucked in an anxious breath, wondering what exactly she expected him to do now that he had agreed to stay within the limits of Beacon Hills.

Was she trying to prove that he wasn't as dangerous as he believed, or was she simply trying to prove that the town was better off with him in it?

"You're taking me to the Nemeton again, aren't you?" Jordan quipped, breaking the silence that had fallen over them ever since she had picked him up.

"I just want to show you something." Lydia murmured in response and continued marching through the brush and branches.

Jordan shook his head at her but kept close by, fearful that if he lost track of her that something bad might happen to her, or him even. He kept his pace, matching her step for step, and when they finally managed to approach the familiar clearing, he held his breath and let her take the lead.

Stopping once she realized he wasn't following her, Lydia turned to face him and widened her eyes as if to say 'what are you waiting for'. Jordan curled his fingers into fists but kept his arms down at his sides, hoping that this trip out into the preserve wasn't going to be as terrifying as the last time, at least the last time that he could remember anyways.

In his dreams he had been out here numerous times and each visit involved him bringing another body to the giant stump. He knew now that it wasn't just a dream, it was real, it had _been_ real, and whether or not he could remember the trek or not didn't make it any less serious of a problem. This was the spot where he had taken the bodies, this was the spot that would forever haunt his dreams.

Jordan's mind flashed back to the night that he had taken the body from the hospital, but he couldn't remember anything except for when he had arrived home. Ryan had shown him the picture of him on her phone, the picture of him carrying the body. Then there was the time where she had informed him that he had shown up at the hospital and had taken Hayden's body, the very same night that he had locked himself in the cell at the sheriff's station before managing to break out.

Weird, strange things happened to him and he knew that there had to be some people in danger, but _did_ the sheriff and Lydia have a point? Was the town better off with him there to protect them?

Lydia gently reached out and pressed her fingers against his wrist, drawing his attention to her. She nudged him forward and with a heavy heart, Jordan moved towards the supernatural stump slowly, cautiously. He didn't want to disturb the surrounding area, he didn't want to bring out any more mystical forces, he merely wanted to get close enough to the wooden surface to see that there weren't any bodies lying in wait.

With each and every step, he felt his heart pick up in pace and when he was within touching distance of the edge of the stump, he paused, glancing back to where Lydia stood just a few feet behind him. He unclenched his fists and waited for her to speak.

"You can still save them." Lydia urged him on, her tone nothing but calm.

Lifting his right hand up, Jordan let his eyes fall shut, moving his hand downwards so that his palm pressed against the hard, rough, wooden surface of the stump.

He held his breath and willed his heart to slow down in pace, but nothing was working. No matter how hard he tried, he was still anxious, still terrified that his nightmare was far from over.

"You can save them all." Lydia added in a whisper and he pressed on the stump with more force at the same time that he felt a pressure on his bicep from her grasp.

Jordan let the images take over inside his head and he focused on trying to keep them clear. Reality felt like it was blurring but he knew that he had been here before, he had carried the bodies out to the middle of the clearing and placed them down against the side of the Nemeton. It wasn't just a nightmare anymore, it hadn't been for a long time, and Jordan needed to figure out a way to stop himself in the future.

He could picture himself in the clearing though, his body blackened by the ash, the heat all around him and the flames rising up from the ground. He could see himself kneeling next to the Nemeton, he could feel the panic rising up from his gut and when he sucked in a breath, his vision sharpened.

Lydia was lying motionless in front of him, blood oozing out of a gaping wound in her throat and a vacant look in her eyes. She was dead, she was gone and there wasn't anything that he could've done to stop it from happening. His heart started to pound harder and when he gasped for air, his eyes popped open, reminding him immediately that it wasn't real.

But that didn't mean that it couldn't _become_ real and if he saw Lydia there, who else would he see? Was Ryan in trouble too? Would Kylie be the next limp body that he'd see in his head?

It was too much, this was exactly what he was afraid of, but did he truly believe that leaving Beacon Hills was his best option?

Curling his fingers slightly, Jordan pressed the tips into the circular rings on the stump's surface, Lydia watching carefully from behind him. He felt the heat spreading from his hand and into the tree, and when he peered down, he witnessed the drab brown colour of the Nemeton turning into a bright orange colour.

"I…I can't." Jordan murmured and pulled his hand away, pressing his searing hot palm against his chest in an attempt to lessen the pain. "I have to…"

"You have to what?"

"I have to protect them." Jordan breathed the words out and Lydia stepped closer to him, pressing her hand onto the back of his shoulder. He flinched at the contact but relaxed after a few seconds, realizing that she was only trying to comfort him.

"Protect who Jordan?" Lydia pressed and he peered down at her, taking in the sight of her wide, wonder filled eyes. Did she know more than he did?

Well of course she did, but that didn't mean she would be able to predict whether or not Ryan and Kylie made it through the next couple of days. He could still hurt them, he could still lose them, and that wasn't something that he wanted to deal with.

"Ryan." Jordan answered softly. "And Kylie."

Lydia let out a humming noise and he held her eyes, curious to find out what was on her mind. Here he was, scared shitless that he might hurt his family, accidentally or on purpose, and Lydia was making weird noises. Wasn't she supposed to be helping him? Wasn't she supposed to be reassuring him that everything would be okay?

"Do you _honestly_ believe that you'd hurt them?" Lydia asked, her tone soft and soothing. "Do you think that you'd _let_ something happen to them?"

Jordan considered her question and offered her a shrug in response, forcing her hand away from his back. Lydia crossed her arms over her chest instead and continued to look up at him, right into his eyes and daring him to think long and hard about what she had just asked.

In his heart he knew that he would never hurt Ryan or Kylie, but that was all based on the idea that he'd be able to control himself. The issue was- well it wasn't like Jordan maintained full control of his body anymore and that was the thing that scared him.

He truly believed that it was possible for his supernatural side to harm either female.

"I don't know." Jordan shook his head and let out a sigh. "It doesn't matter though, either way, I have to do what I think is best for them."

"And you don't think that staying here to fight for humanity is what's best?" Lydia countered. "At least with you here, they have a chance."

It wasn't like she wasn't making sense to him, he knew what she was trying to make him see, but it didn't change the fact that he was dangerous, to all parties involved. Staying seemed like the right thing to do but the more he considered it, leaving didn't sound so bad either.

The decision was definitely a tough one to make and maybe he needed a little more guidance, more than Lydia could give him.

Without a word of warning to her, he turned away from the Nemeton and began marching back in the direction of the car. If he was going to make a choice, if he was going to figure out whether to stay or go, he was going to talk to the woman that he loved more than anything else in the world.

And he knew exactly where to find Ryan Sloane.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Ryan peered down at her phone and blew out an anxious breath. It had been way too long since she had heard from Chris Argent but yet her mind hadn't been wandering to the worst case scenario. No, Jordan had stopped by, Jordan had shown up in her hospital room and she had seen that he was alive.

Whether he was okay, mentally or physically, she wasn't too sure, but nonetheless he had been breathing when she had last laid her eyes on him. Jordan had survived the night and when he had told her that he felt that he needed to leave Beacon Hills, well she hadn't fought him very hard at all. If she had been in his position, she would've wanted his support, she would've wanted him to back her up and tell her that the decision she had made was a good one.

Even though the idea of not having Jordan with her plagued her mind, she knew that it was for the better. If he could keep people safe by leaving, then wasn't that what he should've chosen to do?

The text from Chris had reassured her that Jordan was alive, at least for the moment, but when she had read the text a second time, she had found her heart picking up in speed. Chris had stated that she needed to call him right away and that he had information on Jordan that might be important for her. She didn't know what she wanted to do, part of her thought that maybe ignoring Chris made the most sense, plus she was tired, mentally exhausted from her horrific day.

Another part of her recalled all that he had done for both her and Jordan. She owed it to the man to at least honour his request and call him right? Plus it was _just_ a phone call, it wasn't like he was going to ask her to do anything, especially after she had already informed him that she was holed up in the hospital after suffering from a miscarriage.

Sucking in a breath, she lifted her phone up, dialed Chris Argent's number and hit the call button. Pressing the device against her ear, she sunk deeper into the hospital mattress and pulled the soft flannel blanket further up her body. Her eyes fell shut as she listened to the phone ring and before she had a chance to hang up, Chris Argent picked up with a fierce and quick growl of the word 'hello'.

"Uh, you just asked me to call you." Ryan felt her throat tightening up in fear. She hadn't meant to bother him like his gruff tone might've suggested, in fact, he had been the one who had wanted to talk to her, so what was bothering him so much that he sounded irritated at a mere phone call. "It's me, Ryan."

"I know." Chris replied and blew out a breath. She could already sense that he was calming down, hopefully whatever had been on his nerves was something totally unrelated to her, or Jordan for that matter. "If you see Parrish, you need to send him my way."

"What?" She gasped and opened her eyes, peering around the room. She gazed towards the half open doorway and felt her body tense. "I just saw him not too long ago, he told me he was leaving."

"And you just let him?" Chris sounded more incredulously than anything. There wasn't any anger in his tone, but that didn't mean he wasn't mad. "What did he tell you?"

"He told me that if he stays here, then people won't be safe." Ryan answered in a hushed tone. "What was I supposed to do, if I'm completely honest with you here, he scares the hell out of me."

A blanket of silence fell over them and Ryan remained patient, waiting for the older man to respond. She could hear him breathing yet he wasn't saying anything; what was he waiting for? Did he have something he wanted to say to her that he wasn't quite sure of? Was there something dire that involved Jordan and he didn't want to add any more stress onto her already anxiety-ridden time?

"I don't blame you." Chris sighed, breaking the silence that had fallen over them. "If you hear from him though, or happen to see him again, please send him my way."

"Which is what?" Ryan pressed. "Where should I be sending him because if I just go 'hey Jordan, Chris was looking for you', that doesn't really give either of us much to go on."

"I'm on my way over to the school to see if I can't pick up a trail, or get something on the Beast." Chris answered quickly. "He can always call me, in fact, you can always call me too if you need me for _anything_."

Ryan twisted sideways in the bed and looked over at the wall across the room. She nodded her head and debated what she would ever need him for. While the offer was nice, part of her hoped that she'd never need Chris Argent's help with anything, especially when it came to the supernatural. She wanted to continue living her life without having to worry about mythical creatures interfering or bringing harm to her or her family.

"I appreciate the offer." Ryan whispered. "And if I happen to talk to Jordan, I'll tell him that you're looking for him but I wouldn't count on it."

"All right." Chris replied and she held her breath, hoping that this was the end of their conversation. "Well, I'm sorry for bothering you."

"It's okay." She dropped her gaze down and let her palm reside against her abdomen. "It's not like I'm doing much here in the hospital except lying down and waiting."

Chris let out a low chuckle and she felt her cheeks tightening with a small smile. Ryan knew that bad things weren't going to stop happening, at least not right away and not until the Beast was dealt with, but what did dealing with the Beast entail exactly?

She had no idea what was involved in stopping the Beast and if Jordan was leaving, didn't that mean he had no idea either? Chris hadn't mentioned it to her and she wasn't going to push the issue, fearful of what the older man might say. In her mind, the less she knew about what was going on, the better she'd feel. Even if the hospital didn't have the best track record for being a safe place in times of trouble, it didn't matter to her, this was where she needed to be, this was where she was going to be spending the next little while.

As soon as she would be able to go home though, she would be leaving, but Ryan was very well aware that she still needed to go through with the procedure, she still needed to spend at least the night in her room before her surgery was scheduled to happen the next day.

"I'll let you get back to it then." Chris teased and she let out a soft sigh, feeling her entire body relaxing the tiniest little bit. "Goodbye Ryan."

"Bye Chris."

She gently moved the phone away from her ear and hit the button to end the call, setting the device on the small table next to her bed. She crossed her arms over her chest and debated her next move. She could settle in and try to get some sleep, she could call her dad to check up on things at home, or she could try calling Jordan, just to hear his voice.

The loss of their baby weighed heavily on her mind and she wanted nothing more than to curl up in Jordan's arms and cry over everything that had happened, but he wasn't with her, he wasn't even in Beacon Hills as far as she was concerned. He had left and she had played a part in sending him away.

When a relatively loud sound of footsteps echoed in the hallway outside of her doorway, Ryan tensed and wondered if maybe she was going to be getting a visitor. Maybe Melissa had come back to see her on her break, or on her way out the door, but when Jordan rapped his knuckles against the door and stepped inside, she couldn't fight off the tears welling up in her eyes.

Without saying a word to him, she opened her arms up wide and motioned him forward. Jordan strode into the room and headed right for her, leaning over and enveloping her in a tight embrace.

Her sobs were just barely muffled by the material on his jacket as she buried her head into his shoulder and let out all of the feelings that she had kept bottled up inside up until that very moment. Jordan just held her, his hands moving up and down her back in a soothing manner and when he pressed a kiss to the side of her head, she held her breath and prayed for the sobbing to subside.

"Ryan, I'm right here." He murmured and ran a hand through her hair, letting his palm rest gently on the back of her neck. "I'm not leaving you, okay, I'm not leaving Beacon Hills anymore."

"Jordan." She breathed his name out and tightened her grip on him, pressing the tips of her fingers into the back of his shoulders. He leaned into her and readjusted his butt so that he was sitting on the bed next to her, letting her snuggle up against his side as he tried to get a little more comfortable beside her. "I love you, I love you so much."

"I know Ry, I love you too. I never should've tried to leave, especially with you in the hospital. You mean more to me than anything in the world and I was stupid for even just thinking of walking away from you."

"It's okay." She dropped her head down and rested it against his shoulder, sucking in a breath and fighting off the urge to continue sobbing. "You were only trying to protect us."

"But I should've been there for you, I should've stayed with you. You had to go through…" He trailed off and she slipped her fingers in between his. "We lost our baby and I just left you here-"

"I know why though, and I understood." Ryan cut him off and tipped her head back, meeting his curious gaze. "Don't get me wrong, I really wanted you to stay but I know what's going on in this town more than the average person and I get that you're part of all the weird stuff. If you truly believed that leaving was the best thing for us, then why would I have fought you on that?"

"You're too good to me." Jordan stated and let his thumb make tiny, featherlike movements over her knuckles. "You are my number one priority, you _and_ Kylie, and there's nothing in this world that will ever hurt you so long as I'm around to stop it. I won't let anything get to you, I won't let anything touch Kylie and so long as I'm breathing, I'll make sure that you two are safe and protected."

"I can take care of myself." She mumbled but let a small smile spread out across her lips. "But I like having you around."

"I'm so sorry that you lost the baby." He echoed his words from earlier and she shook her head. "And you never should've had to go through that alone. I should've been there right from the start but I wasn't and I'm sorry for that too."

"I know, but I don't think you have anything to be sorry for. This is nobody's fault." Ryan confessed. "I don't blame you at all."

"You should."

"No." She shook her head. "No I shouldn't."

A comfortable silence fell over them and Ryan curled up against him as much as she possibly could. He broke the hold she had on his hand and banded his arm around her waist, holding her securely against his side and trying to show her with his actions that he cared for her and that he'd always protect her.

"I won't leave you again." Jordan remarked and pressed a chaste kiss against the top of her head.

"Hold that thought." She scoffed and recalled her earlier conversation with Chris Argent. "Chris was looking for you, I'm supposed to send you his way."

"Ryan I'm not-"

"Just because you're leaving me here, doesn't mean you're leaving me completely." She broke in. "He seemed pretty set on finding you Jordan and I can handle being by myself for a little while longer."

"Only if you're sure." He countered and she ran her hand up his chest, letting her palm rest over his heart. "And I promise to come back to you as soon as possible."

"I'm sure. I'll probably just try and sleep anyways."

"Sleep?" He met her eyes and looked at her with a wondrous look, clearly teasing her in an attempt to lighten the mood. "How can you sleep with all this excitement going on?"

"Losing a baby takes a toll on you Jordan." She answered, her tone dead serious.

He studied her face for a few seconds before her lips turned upwards into a tiny little smile, letting him know that she was sort of teasing. She could handle herself, she was a big girl, and so long as he came back to her eventually, then that was all she could really ask for.

"Funny." He said sarcastically and let out a sigh. "I'll go meet Chris in a few, for now, I'm just going to lay here with you for a little while longer."

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Things seem to be back on track for Ryan and Jordan, he didn't leave her, not completely..._**

 ** _realawesome: Oh no :( I'm sorry, I just couldn't make things too easy for Ryan. Thank you for the review_**

 ** _poorxbrokexcollegexkid: I think they'll be able to work through anything if they stick together_**


	88. Chapter 88

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 _ **Chapter 88** **:**_

Gerard, his own flesh and blood, wasn't to be trusted, but that wasn't something new to Chris. The man had never been someone he trusted, not since he had turned Allison against them all, not since he had forced Derek Hale to bite him and certainly not since Chris had given him the antidote to his supernatural disease.

It didn't matter if he trusted him or not though, desperate times called for desperate measures and there was no denying that his father knew more about the Beast of Gevaudan than anyone else within the town limits of Beacon Hills. Gerard was an asset, _for now_.

Following him into the library, or what was left of the library, wasn't something that Chris had particularly wanted to do, but his father had demanded a visit to the scene of the crime, a visit to the window from which the beast had escaped the night of the charity lacrosse game. If it could get them closer to stopping the Beast, then Chris was going to do anything that seemed absolutely necessary.

There was a giant hole in the oversized window and Chris could picture the monster breaking through the glass, sending shards flying everywhere, before taking off into the dark of the night. Broken pieces of furniture and chunks of wood and debris littered the tile floor, but yet, it wasn't anything that Chris hadn't seen before. It was nothing new to his eyes.

"The beast-"

"Mason, Mason Hewitt." Chris cut off his father, following the old man further and further into the chaotic mess that was the library. "He's a sophomore, Liam's best friend."

"And a mass murderer." Gerard added slowly, driving Chris closer to the edge. His father was nothing more than a scumbag, but until they had done what they needed to do, there wasn't anything that Chris could say to keep his father under control. Gerard was cynical, he was crazed and he wondered how far he would go in order to achieve whatever it was that he wanted for himself.

"We're going to need to tell Scott the rest." Chris admitted, taking a few more steps forward, coming to stop beside his dad.

"Not necessarily." Gerard turned to face him but soon looked back to the hole within the windowpanes.

"If there's a way to save him-" Chris began but Gerard glared at him once again, sufficiently silencing him.

"The pike won't save him, it'll kill him. Mason Hewitt is gone." Gerard fired at him and Chris bit back the urge to growl at his own flesh and blood, at the man that had raised him.

How far was Gerard willing to go, how much of the old man's humanity was salvageable? He was already talking about killing an innocent teenage boy, but was that really something that surprised Chris?

No, nothing that his father said or did surprised him anymore, the best he could do was to come up with a plan of his own, to remain steps ahead of Gerard in their game of cat and mouse. If Gerard was willing to kill Mason Hewitt, then Chris was going to have to fight that much harder to prevent any harm from coming to the young man, after all, wasn't that all a part of his new code, the very code that Allison had adopted before she had been so cruelly ripped from his life?

"But you still can't tell me where it is. How do we know it's not a steel cup gathering dust in someone's antique collection?" Chris demanded, fighting off the sadness and anger brought about by thoughts of his daughter, Allison had been taken too soon but she had died protecting her friends, her family.

It had taken him longer than he would've liked to realize that family didn't always wind up being blood, no, family was so much more than that. Chris deemed Allison's friends worthy allies and he knew that Scott McCall and Jordan Parrish were more respectable than Gerard would ever be.

"Oh, I think it's closer to us than that. We'll find the pike, whatever shape it's in." Gerard replied calmly.

"If we can't, then we're going to need a lot more firepower to take on the Beast." Chris ground the words out.

It wasn't even a second after he had gotten the words out that the library doors behind them were heard opening, a surprise to Chris, maybe, but was he shocked to see who had marched through them?

Jordan Parrish was more useful than anyone would ever know and to have him on his side, well that was something that Chris was grateful for. Taking on the Beast would be a lot less horrific with a hellhound backing him up.

"How much firepower do you want?" Jordan asked firmly and Chris fought off the urge to smile at the sight of his bright, glowing orange eyes looking back at him.

"We're not sure but having you on our side is definitely a good place to start." Chris remarked, obviously trying to fight off a bit of a smirk. "We stand a chance."

"Maybe a chance is all we really need." Jordan nodded his agreement. "Where do we start?"

Chris paused and looked over at his father, studying the old man for a few seconds and trying to decipher what his own move was going to be. At this point in time, Chris was very aware that him and his father were on different sides and so what if Gerard was pretending to be helpful when he was really just out for himself, it didn't matter because Chris had more people backing him up than he had originally believed.

Scott and his pack were his first allies and now that Jordan had reappeared after pulling a Houdini, he was set. With a Hellhound and a true alpha on his team, it wouldn't matter what Gerard had up his sleeve, unless the old man was hiding an allied pack of supernatural creatures of his own.

But Gerard had spent the last few months locked away in a room by himself. Chris had confidently deduced that his father was alone in the world and if he hadn't shown up with the 'cure' for his own father's disease, then Gerard easily would've rotted away without another living soul to even talk to.

"The preserve." Gerard answered, pulling Chris out of his thoughts. "Everything always starts in the preserve."

Chris turned his attention back to Jordan and nodded in agreement with his father. No more words were shared between them, no, they all seemed to be ready to get right down to business. Chris took the lead, Gerard following him as he wandered out of the library and Jordan fell in step behind them both.

The trio marched out to the parking lot and towards the only vehicle parked on the pavement. Still without speaking to one another, they all climbed into the vehicle and when Chris jammed the keys into the ignition, he peered into the backseat and caught Jordan's eyes.

"Do you think you can control it?" Chris questioned and Jordan tilted his head sideways in confusion.

Control what exactly? What was Chris referring too?

"The Hellhound side of you deputy." Gerard ground out and Jordan straightened up in the back of the SUV. Oh yes, right, the hellhound, that's what he was.

Could he control it? Well it wasn't like he had ample opportunity to try and even if he had, it's not like he knew where to start, but maybe he could control it at this point, maybe the ordeal he had endured where he had been locked in the machine had broken something within him that had once refused to relinquish authority over his own body.

"I can certainly try." Jordan replied back with a shake of his head. He squeezed his eyes shut and focused intently on trying to bring out the beast within him.

"Not here!" Gerard boomed and turned around in his seat, his eyes boring into Jordan's as he popped open his eyes. He didn't need a mirror to know that his irises were glowing orange. "Not in the car!"

Jordan raised his hands in surrender but relaxed into the seat, letting Chris focus on driving. He remained calm and felt the heat in his eyes dissipating, but that didn't mean Jordan wasn't still trying just a little bit to control the supernatural side of himself.

By the time Chris pulled up to the edge of the preserve, Jordan could feel the hellhound scratching to escape, but that wasn't the part that he feared. He feared the inability to reign in the monster that threatened to take him over.

"It might not be the same with hellhounds but I know with werewolves it's easier to remain in control if you can find your anchor and focus on it." Chris spoke first, breaking the nearly uncomfortable silence that had taken over the inside of the vehicle. "If you feel like you're losing yourself, focus on whatever your anchor is."

"How do I know _what_ my anchor is anyways?" Jordan asked bluntly and before Gerard had a chance to snap back at him, Chris raised a hand and faced his palm in the direction of his father.

"Scott's anchor was Allison, Derek Hale's was anger and Isaac Lahey's, to my knowledge, was his father. Find something that you can connect to, that you can tether yourself too, and focus every ounce of strength that you've got on whatever that may be."

Jordan didn't say a word in response; instead, he made his way out of the back of the vehicle and planted his feet on the ground. Chris and Gerard soon joined him outside and when Chris wandered around to the back of the SUV, Jordan remained standing at the side, leaning against the door and making sure it was shut tight. He let his eyes fall shut and tried to bring Ryan to the forefront of his mind.

She seemed like a likely anchor, he'd never ever want to hurt her and even at the mere thought of her flooding through his mind, he could already feel himself relaxing, calming immensely. When his thoughts drifted to Kylie, he felt his heart slow down the slightest little bit and knew that he had found his anchor. All he had to do was hope that it was enough to keep him from turning feral.

When Chris nudged him on the arm with his fist, Jordan shook his head and let his mind clear. Gerard took the lead this time though and Jordan fell in stride right next to Chris, hoping that everything would be over soon. He just wanted to end the Beast's reign of terror and get back to a normal life, where he could focus on Ryan and Kylie, his family, his world.

Laying his eyes on the Beast had come much more quickly than he had figured. Once Chris and Gerard had led him into the dense brush and trees that made up the woods, it hadn't taken him all that much time to track it down, to lay his eyes on the snarling, growling atrocity that was supposed to be yet another type of supernatural creature inhabiting Beacon Hills. Only this time, it hadn't come peacefully, it had come bringing as much carnage as it possibly could, and that was something that didn't bode well for the Beast.

The one thing that Jordan hadn't realized though was that it was much, _much_ bigger than he could recall, but then again, a lot of his time spent against the beast hadn't been him exactly, it had been the hellhound side of him, his own supernatural personality. Nonetheless, he wasn't going to let the beast hurt anyone else, he was going to do everything in his power to keep the giant werewolf away from innocent people.

It was his job not only as a deputy, but as the person that he was, the person that he wanted to keep being, and if he let something bad happen to anyone, then he'd have failed himself.

Leaping through the air as his body burned up and his clothes turned to ash, he just barely caught sight of the fallen body of one of the Dread Doctors before pulling his fist back and levelling the Beast with a punch so hard in the side of the chest that he sent the werewolf off balance, but it wasn't _quite_ enough.

The Beast hit him back harder and Jordan collapsed to the ground. His work was done for the time being, his part of the plan had been to play distraction just long enough for Chris to get close enough to the beast so that they could initiate their part of the ploy.

The cocking of the shotgun was music to Jordan's ears and when Chris began firing round after round into the beast, he let his body relax the slightest little bit, taking pleasure in watching the giant werewolf's body jerk backwards from the impact of the bullets.

It turned it's back to them all and tried to walk away, heading over a small wooden bridge, but Chris continued to fire at it, hoping that one of his shots would stop the beast in his tracks. Once it was across the bridge though, it stopped moving completely and Jordan's eyes were glued on the human form of the beast that had _just_ been right in front of him.

"La Bete Du Gevaudan! I know your name." Gerard called out to the figure, a growl reverberating in his throat. The man kept his back turned to them all but he peered over his shoulder, blood coating his skin and his lip curling upwards into a snarl. "Do you remember mine?"

"Argent." The man countered, his eyes never leaving Gerard's form for the next few seconds. Jordan sucked in a breath and debated what his next move was going to be.

Without hesitating, he felt the flames lick and kiss at his body and he launched himself to his feet, taking off after the very Beast that had been terrorizing the town that he called home. Jordan was going to give this fight everything he had, he was going to take on the Beast using every ounce of strength that he could muster. If he had to be the only thing standing between the Beast and saving Beacon Hills, then that's precisely what he was going to do.

No one got to infringe on his territory, no creature would get the opportunity to decimate his town. Jordan surged on ahead and dodged the branches sticking into the path that he was currently darting down.

He pushed himself to the limit and prayed that he could catch the man, or the beast, rather quickly and without causing too much carnage. He was tired, he was _exhausted_ , and all he wanted to do was get back to Ryan in the hospital, to make sure that she was holding up okay while the rest of the town seemed to fall to shambles around her. She was hurting, she was grieving the loss of their child alone, and the sooner that he could get back to her, the better he'd feel.

He knew that she'd be worrying about him every second that he was away from her but what real choice did he have? It was either leave Beacon Hills until things seemed to blow over or help Chris and hope that they could end the anarchy without more people having to die.

He had already tried to leave once without looking back and that hadn't worked out for anyone involved. Part of him had been fighting to stay and fight but he had concluded that it would've been best for everyone to leave, at least that was the way he had looked at things until the Sheriff and Lydia had made him see the other side. They had forced him to stop, they had blown out all of his tires and made him listen to what they had to say.

If he _could_ help people by staying, if he could do something good for Beacon Hills, if he could protect Ryan and Kylie without having to leave them, then maybe staying was worth it, maybe the risk was worth the reward.

With a slight shake of his head, he tried to clear his head and pay every bit of attention to the task at hand: catching the Beast.

His eyes were still locked on the man and when the stranger pushed off of the damp, cold ground of the forest and leapt into the air, Jordan found himself watching in awe as he transformed into the giant, were-wolf like Beast that he had come face to face with too many times before. When the _thing_ landed, it landed on all fours, humongous paws in place of what had once been hands and feet and menacing teeth took the place of the formerly blunted human chompers. The sight in front of him was something out of a nightmare, yet Jordan wasn't as afraid as he should've been.

It didn't matter what form the Beast took, Jordan wasn't going to let it hurt Ryan or Kylie, he wasn't going to let it get to Scott and his pack either. As long as he was still breathing, then the Beast was going to have to put up one hell of a fight to bring harm to anyone else.

Jordan took a turn through the brush and found his feet connecting with asphalt. He stared straight ahead and locked his eyes on the Beast clambering along the road ahead of him. Taking a second to himself, he glanced around and took in the sight of his surrounding, figuring out exactly where he was. He was on the main road leading back to the core of Beacon Hills, which meant that he had to work that much harder to keep the thing in his sights.

He could feel himself falling behind and the sheer size of the Beast gave it a clear advantage. For every one step that the Beast took, Jordan had to take five to stay on pace, and he knew that he wasn't going to be able to keep up for too much longer. He was already fading, the beast was getting smaller as it gained ground on him, and it wasn't until the sound of an engine roaring echoed in the dark, night air behind him that Jordan felt even the tiniest bit of relief.

Chris was there with him, it had to be. With a quick look over his shoulder, he met the hunter's gaze through the windshield and immediately focused back on the task at hand. When he faced forward though, he could just barely make out the silhouette of the Beast way, _way_ ahead of him.

Fighting off the urge to growl in frustration, Jordan pushed his body to the limit and tried with everything that he had to gain on the Beast. He didn't want to lose sight of it, he didn't want to have to stop and regroup, he simply wanted to get his hands on the Beast and finish the fight.

It had been a few minutes since Jordan had last seen any clear sign of the Beast in front of him, or heard any evidence of it within his reach, but he didn't want to admit defeat right away. Instead, he tried to focus on catching the trail but after a few minutes of nothing, hell, less than nothing, Jordan knew it was time to inform his comrades.

He slowed his pace and came to a stop from his mad dash and before he could stop himself, he lunged towards the pavement, dropping down to one knee as he felt the heat of his body lessen with each passing second. His heart rate seemed to decrease and Jordan sucked in a breath, feeling the cool night air flooding his lungs. The hellhound part of him was retreating too, and Jordan wasn't sure whether he thought that was a good thing or felt that the temporary loss of his supernatural side meant that things were even direr than he first believed.

"I lost him." Jordan yelled and he listened to the SUV come to a stop behind him. The slight shrieking of the breaks sounded out in the air and when the doors popped open, he knew that the Argents were getting out of the vehicle.

"Sebastien's going to know we have the pike and if he doesn't, he's going to figure it out soon enough." Chris called back, drawing Jordan's attention towards the SUV.

He met Chris' eyes and gave a slight tilt of his head, "then what do we do?"

"We stop chasing him and make him come to us." Gerard announced from the passenger side of the SUV. There was a long, skinny object in his hand and Jordan narrowed his eyes in on the old man's hands, trying to figure out what exactly he held in his possession.

Jordan rose up off the pavement and stood at his full height. He took in a deep breath and rolled his shoulders back, hoping that he could keep the Argents on his side. He knew that Chris wasn't going to turn on him but Gerard was an entirely different story. Hell, he seemed like the type of man to double cross at the drop of a hat, but for the time being, Gerard was a valuable asset to them both.

He had information that neither he or Chris knew, he was experienced in the hunter lifestyle and he was well aware of his family's history, specifically the story pertaining to the Beast. Yes, Jordan didn't trust Gerard, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to ignore him completely.

"How do we make the Beast come to us- you know what, that's not even my first question, my first question is _why_ would we even _want_ to make the Beast come to us, unless you have an idea on how to defend-"

"Deputy," Gerard cut him off and levelled him with a glare, Jordan going silent and looking back at the man, "you're not suggesting that you don't think we stand a chance now are you?"

Jordan shook his head and brought his hands up, propping them against his hips. He blew out a frustrated breath and turned his attention to Chris, who was looking at his father. What was going through his head? What was Chris currently thinking about?

Jordan's own thoughts drifted to Ryan, and Kylie too, and he knew that whatever was going to happen, whatever he was a part of, was going to be for the better. He was here, he was in Beacon Hills and now that he had come face to face with the Beast again, he found himself wondering why he had ever thought to leave in the first place.

Ryan was everything to him, she was the most important thing in his life, which meant that he'd fight to protect her, he'd give his life to make sure she was okay. It didn't matter if she had lost the baby, it didn't matter what life threw at him, Ryan was it for him and he'd make sure that she got to live out the rest of her life, even if that meant sacrificing himself.

"We can draw the Beast out." Gerard stated, breaking Jordan out of his own head. "We can bring him to us, but in order to do that, we have to go where everything began."

"Where's that?" Jordan quipped, silently begging the higher powers for the night to be almost over. "Because I don't know about you but I can think of a few places where that could be."

"The tunnels." Chris supplied with a sigh. "We have to go back into the tunnels."

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _We're getting down to the last few chapters!_**


	89. Chapter 89

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 _ **Chapter 89** **:**_

Being cooped up in her own hospital room all on her own was getting to Ryan. Sure she was growing tired but mostly she was bored, bored of being by herself, bored of not having anything to do and bored of waiting for someone, or something, to come along and break her free from her thoughts.

She had been thinking about things way too hard over the past little while and maybe she was starting to genuinely accept the way her pregnancy had ended, maybe she wasn't as upset as she had been, after all, it wasn't like she could've stopped it. She had no control over the situation, it wasn't like she had done anything to deliberately put her unborn baby in harm's way, plus she was still young, they had plenty of time to try again.

But at the thought of trying again, Ryan found herself wondering if that was something that she truly wanted. Their baby had been an accident, unplanned of course, and it had surprised Ryan but that didn't mean she hadn't loved the idea of being a mom again any less. She just didn't know if she was ready and the fact that her baby hadn't made it merely served to solidify her hesitancy about having another child.

"God." She growled, giggling at how soft her voice was as it echoed slightly in the empty room. "So _bored_."

With a shake of her head, she sucked in a breath and debated her next move. She could stay in her bed and try to sleep but that didn't sound very fun, especially if Jordan was out meandering around town. In her mind, there was far too much excitement happening outside of her hospital room, and she was just itching to be in the loop.

Ryan glanced down at her legs covered by the blankets and scrunched her nose up at the sight. She knew that underneath the soft cotton throw that she was bare from the waist down, except for her underwear, but she also knew that not too far away were her clothes, stashed away in her workbag with the rest of her stuff.

Without thinking, she carefully moved the blanket away from her legs and swung her body sideways, letting her feet dangle over the side of the bed and just above the floor. With a soft sigh, she surged forward and planted her feet on the cool tile beneath her, then she made quick work of heading for her things across the room. Grabbing her yoga pants that her dad had dropped off earlier, and the t-shirt to go along with it, she slipped into the bathroom and shut the door behind her, throwing the lock across for extra measure.

As soon as she was inside, she reached her hand out and slapped the switch on the wall, illuminating the small bathroom and allowing her eyes to adjust to the brighter lights. Her eyes caught sight of herself in the mirror and she paused, studying her expression. She narrowed her eyes in on her face and raised one eye brow upwards, then the other. The whites of her eyeballs were slightly redder than usual and she knew that it was most likely from all the tears she had shed earlier.

But that had been a while ago and now she was feeling a little better about the miscarriage. It sucked, no doubt about that, but things could've been a _lot_ worse. Maybe later, when she got a chance to see Jordan again, things would seem bleaker, but for that very second, while she was on her own, she knew that she had to carry on.

She still had Kylie depending on her, she had to watch out for her little girl and keep her safe, which meant that she couldn't ignore her child to grieve the loss of a life that had barely even begun. She couldn't let her emotions take over, she had to be strong, she had to keep herself together for the rest of her family, she just hoped that she'd be able to get out of the hospital sooner rather than later.

The procedure she was waiting for wasn't anything out of the ordinary, in fact, it wasn't even a very time consuming surgery, but she knew that if complications arose, then things could become a lot direr than they had been thus far. She just hoped that everything went as planned and that she'd be back out of the operating room, recovering, before she knew it.

Bringing her hand up, Ryan gingerly prodded at the skin underneath her right eye, hoping that she could make herself look a little less sad. She felt how warm her skin was and let her hand fall away as she shook her head, fighting off tears yet again.

As much as she tried to keep the thought of losing her unborn baby at bay, she knew that she had wanted it more than even she had let on.

She'd never know the gender of it, her and Jordan would never get to name it, or watch it grow up. There would be no first steps or first word and while they could always try again, Ryan was completely aware that it wouldn't be the same.

"Pull it together." Ryan mumbled and ran her hand over her face, sucking in a breath and holding it. She let it out after a few seconds and peeled her gaze off of the mirror before focusing her attention on what she had originally wandered into the bathroom to do.

Slipping her legs into the yoga pants, Ryan pulled them up to her waist and pressed her palms against the front of her abdomen, letting out a soft sigh at the thought of not seeing her belly swell from the life that had once resided inside. She let her eyes fall shut, dropped her hands away from her body and reached around to the back of her neck in order to untie the gown.

When she managed to get the knot apart, she felt the paper-like material ghost over her skin. Taking it off, she ran her hands through her blonde locks and shook her head, hoping that maybe seeing her pal Melissa would do her some good. She needed to get out of her room, she needed to get out of her _head_.

As swiftly as she could, she shoved her arms into her t-shirt and lifted it up and over her head, pulling it down over the upper half of her body and letting the soft material drape around her. She ran her hands down the front of her shirt and brought her arms upwards, crossing them over her chest as she stole one last look in the mirror.

She wondered what Jordan was doing at that very minute. She wondered where he was and who he was with. She wondered if Kylie was sound asleep in her bed or if Ken had let the girl fall asleep on the couch with him while they had watched movies late into the night.

She hated the thought of spending her night alone in the hospital and maybe she held out hope that Jordan would show back up and stay with her, but she knew that he had other priorities. With another soft sigh, she uncrossed her arms and moved back towards the door, unlocking it seconds before she opened it and stepping out into her room. She headed towards her stuff and slipped her bare feet into the shoes she had worn to work before taking off and making her way towards the main floor.

As soon as she was in the elevator, she let out a breath of relief and a small smile took up residence on her face at the thought of seeing a familiar face. She wanted to be a part of the action, she wanted to be right in the thick of things but most importantly, she wanted to not be all alone, even if it was only temporarily.

As the elevator doors opened up revealing the main floor, Ryan took a step forward and wandered out into the hallway. She knew exactly where she was going and as soon as she saw the front desk in her sights, she felt her body relaxing. She was so close to finding Melissa yet she was still far away from being with her friend.

"You're supposed to be resting."

Ryan nearly jumped out of her skin at the soothing sound of Melissa McCall's voice echoing down the hall from behind her. Whirling around on her heels, Ryan locked eyes with the very woman that she desperately wanted to see and without hesitating, she headed right for her, enveloping her in a warm, tight hug.

"I know." Ryan murmured, burying her face into Melissa's shoulders. The older nurse's arms came around Ryan and she simply held her, knowing that whatever Ryan was going through wasn't easy to deal with. It was sad, it was heartbreaking and the thought of losing a baby just like she had was something that Melissa wouldn't wish on even her biggest enemy. "I just needed company."

"You could've called the desk and asked to talk to me, I would've come up to see you." Melissa stated and Ryan gripped her tighter. "You don't have to be alone."

"Thanks." Ryan whispered and reluctantly loosened her grip on the older woman. She leaned back and put a bit of space between their bodies, taking in the soft expression on Melissa's face. Taking a quick look around the hallway, she sucked in a breath and wondered how busy her friend currently was. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bother you."

"You, my dear, are never a bother." Melissa countered with a grin. "Come on, why don't you sit at the desk, I'll take care of one more patient and then we can head into the lounge to talk?"

"That sounds so nice." Ryan said, a wistful look on her face.

Melissa slipped her arm around her friend's shoulders and guided her towards the front desk. The two of them wandered side by side in silence and when they finally reached the entrance to the emergency department, Melissa paused and turned to face Ryan head on.

"You holding up okay? Honestly?" Melissa pressed.

Ryan offered her a shrug in response and opened her mouth to say something, but she remained silent, not entirely sure what there was _to_ say.

When the doors swung open just down the hall from where Ryan and Melissa were standing, Ryan continued to remain silent but turned her attention to the scene unfolding in front of her. Furrowing her eyebrows together, she tried to get a better look but found herself gasping at the sight. Instinctually Ryan crossed her arms over her chest and glanced up towards the ceiling, hoping that this situation wasn't anywhere close to as bad as it looked.

The very sheriff of Beacon Hills was cradling a bloodied Lydia Martin in his worn and weathered arms, bringing her through the emergency room doors as more of the crimson liquid oozed and dripped out of Lydia's neck. She couldn't see any wound but that didn't mean anything, in fact, Lydia had her hands around her neck and Ryan narrowed her eyes in on the horrifying scene in front of her, and she cringed, fighting off the urge to vomit at the sight of all the blood soiling her shirt.

What the hell had happened to Lydia? Had something attacked her? Had something gone right for her throat? And if that was the case, _what_ had gone after her, what had harmed the teenager?

Sure, Ryan wasn't all that fond of her but that didn't mean she wanted her to die. She wouldn't have wished any true harm upon Lydia and this certainly was one for the books.

"Melissa! Melissa!" The sheriff called out, his voice firm and commanding. Ryan took a step back, moving towards the wall in an attempt to get out of the way as the older man rushed towards them.

Melissa was already heading their way and Ryan squeezed her eyes shut tight as her back collided with the wall behind her. She said a silent prayer for the girl in the sheriff's arms and then opened her eyes and stepped away from the wall. Ryan closed in on her friend, who was currently trying to locate a vacant gurney, and set her hand on Melissa's shoulder, drawing her attention away from her current task.

"I can help." Ryan said softly. "If you need me, I can help you."

"Right now, get her into one of the emergency rooms while I try to find a bed." Melissa suggested and Ryan nodded her understanding. She peeled her hand away from her shoulder and waved at the sheriff, drawing him deeper into the hospital and poking her head into the first room that she encountered.

With no one inside of it, Ryan jogged through the door and patted the barely cushioned surface of the examination table before heading right for the cupboards and pulling the doors open in search of a pair of gloves. This was an easy procedure, for right now all Ryan had to do was figure out how to stop the bleeding, or at the very least, get it to slow down enough for them to not worry about the girl bleeding out.

With a fresh pair of latex gloves on her hands and a mask over her face to prevent biohazards from getting into her mouth, Ryan rushed back to the table and took a quick look at Lydia.

"What happened?" Ryan asked and the sheriff hesitantly stepped away from her, giving Ryan room to work.

"Her neck, _he_ clawed her neck." The sheriff answered, his voice laced with panic.

"Okay." Ryan breathed the word out and gently pried Lydia's hands away from her bleeding neck. She took one look at the gaping wound on the girl's flesh and bit down on her lip, wondering how the hell they were going to treat her. It wasn't like they could put all that much pressure on it, not if it was directly on her neck and not without cutting off her oxygen supply to her lungs.

This was certainly a tricky thing to take care of.

Before Ryan could make the next move though, which would be to grab gauze in order to slow the flow of blood, Melissa appeared in the doorway and stared at her, eyes wide and a look of sheer terror on the woman's face.

Without a word between them, Melissa moved further into the room, shutting the door behind them, and made a mad dash for the cupboards. Ryan gently spread her palm across the wound on Lydia's neck and held it as gently as she could until Melissa took up a stance right next to her, only in her glove covered hands was a whole bunch of fresh gauze.

"If we can get the blood to stop, maybe we can stitch it up." Ryan said in a low, calm tone. "I can't tell if it's as bad as the bleeding might suggest."

Melissa forced an uneasy smile in her colleague's direction, "like I said earlier, you're supposed to be resting."

"Yeah well I'd rather be down here feeling useful." Ryan countered with a small smile of her own. "But if you really want me to go back to my room-"

"I'm glad you're here." Melissa cut her off and stole a glance at the panicked look on Lydia's face. "I could definitely use your help."

"Yeah, no problem."

As a comfortable silence fell over them, the two nurses got to work on trying to stop the bleeding from Lydia's wound with the hopes that once it was slowed down enough, they could get to work on stitching it shut. Ryan and Melissa worked together like a well-oiled machine and once the red liquid's speed decreased enough for stitches to be started, Ryan took a step back and let Melissa take over, watching in awe as her comrade got right to work at looking for the thread that would effectively be used to close the wound.

Ryan moved to stand right next to the sheriff and even went as far as to peel her one glove off, which was covered in blood, and set her hand on his wrist in what she was hoping was a reassuring gesture. He looked scared, terrified even, and she couldn't even begin to imagine what he had witnessed, or what had caused such an injury to a young girl.

"I think she should be okay." Ryan said, her voice barely louder than a whisper. "There doesn't seem to be too much damage that can't be fixed with stitches and a few days' rest."

"You think?" The sheriff quipped and looked between Ryan and Lydia, who was lying on the table with her hands wrapped around the edge of the padding, her knuckles white as she gripped it tight. Melissa was hovering over her with a threaded needle, carefully working away at closing up the wound.

"Yeah." Ryan nodded her head. "Lydia's strong, she's a fighter. I think she has a good chance of being perfectly fine."

Ryan wasn't too sure where her words had come from but she knew that she wasn't lying. Even if she didn't like Lydia, or trust her around Jordan, she knew that the girl on the examination table wasn't going to give up any time soon.

At least Ryan could respect her for that.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Ryan stood just outside of Lydia's hospital room, her eyes glued on the barely moving teenager lying in the bed inside. She had stepped out of the way when Stiles had appeared in the hallway not too long ago and now she debated with herself whether she wanted to stay near Lydia and keep an eye on her or leave her alone with Stiles and head back to her own hospital room and make an attempt at resting.

Lydia was so young, so helpless and Ryan fought off the urge to cry at the thought of her own defenseless baby that hadn't made it into the world having gone through the miscarriage that she had.

Had the baby suffered, had it felt pain or did it exist one second and the next it didn't? Ryan was confused on how she was feeling, she didn't know what to think, but she hoped and prayed that the baby had died without feeling much of anything at all.

Her eyes drifted back into the hospital room, landing on the young girl inside. Lydia was someone's baby, she was someone's child and Ryan didn't want any other mother to have to go through the feelings that she was going through at that very minute. Had someone tried to get a hold of Lydia's mother, had the woman been contacted and informed of what had happened, or had the idea of letting the girl's mother know that she was in the hospital something that had been forgotten for the time being?

Ryan sucked in a breath and tore her eyes away from Lydia, her mind drifting to her own baby once again. Her heart was broken, her body ached for the baby that she had lost and her mind continued to drift to what could've been. There had been a happy future in her sights, a lifetime full of love and good times with Jordan and her together taking care of Kylie and their baby, but now it was all gone. It had been ripped out from under her without even giving Ryan a chance to fight for it. Without even an ounce of warning, she had lost someone so dear to her, something that she would never get back.

Studying Stiles standing next to Lydia in the hospital bed, Ryan focused on trying to give them as much privacy as she could without moving too far away from the wounded teenager. Peering down the hall, Ryan noticed Melissa coming around the corner and moving towards her, forcing a smile onto her face. Ryan tried to match the woman's smile with one of her own, but she wasn't feeling it, it wasn't in her, and without returning the gesture, she took a step towards Melissa, closing the gap between them.

"How's she holding up?" Melissa asked softly and Ryan tilted her head sideways in contemplation.

On one hand, Lydia was holding up quite well. She was awake, alert and very aware of her surroundings. On the other hand, the girl was having a hard time settling in to the hospital, almost as if there was something more pressing that she needed to do, somewhere more important that she needed to be. Ryan completely understood that, she could even relate. Lying in a hospital bed not doing anything to help friends or family, was very heart wrenching.

She had felt helpless not too long ago and was thankful that she had been able to jump right in and aid Melissa in tending to Lydia's injuries.

"She'll make it." Ryan answered simply. "She's got a pretty strong support system, not to mention she as tough as they come."

"Yeah." Melissa snorted. "Reminds me of someone else I know."

Ryan cocked her head to the side in confusion but when Melissa waved her hand up and down in front of Ryan, she got the gist of what her older friend was saying. Okay, so Lydia reminded Melissa of Ryan, that was something she hadn't heard yet in her lifetime but maybe nurse McCall had a point.

Lydia was strong, intelligent and not one to back down from a fight. She gave everything her all and didn't shy away from a tough problem. Did Ryan believe that Melissa had a point though, because she certainly didn't feel like she was strong.

There were times when she felt like she had nothing left to give, but had she quit?

When Cole had been ripped from their lives, had she simply given up and let the sadness take over her entire life?

Well no, no she hadn't and she was thankful for that. Cole never would have wanted her to give up, to throw in the towel and call it quits, especially with their daughter around. Ryan had struggled to stay afloat in the ocean that had become her life, she had given her all in order to take care of Kylie, even if she hadn't felt like she had taken that much care of herself. Kylie had made it all worthwhile though, Kylie had been the one good thing in her life when everything else had seemed to be going downhill.

Could Kylie be the one thing keeping her going at that very minute too?

"You're tougher than you think Ry." Melissa remarked and Ryan let out a sigh in response. "You are. You have seen things that no one else will ever understand; you have been a part of things that will never be known to the rest of the world. Ryan, you are one tough cookie and if anyone ever tells you otherwise-"

"I think I get the point." Ryan broke in, lifting her hand up in surrender. "You seem to be my biggest fan right about now."

"That's only because Kylie's not here." Melissa teased. "I bet if you asked her who her most favourite person in the world was, she'd say you."

"Right." Ryan replied with a roll of her eyes. "I'd be right after Grandpa and Jordan."

"Don't sell yourself short. She knows what you've been through, even if you don't think so. She sees you every day and she's right there with you during the tough times. That girl isn't stupid, she knows how amazing you are."

Ryan shook her head but felt the heat in her cheeks. Was Melissa right? Did her daughter really believe that she was as amazing as Melissa claimed?

"Trust me, you're the one who's always there for her and you're the one that _will_ always be there for her." Melissa reached her hand out and gave Ryan's shoulder a reassuring pat. "You should give yourself more credit in the future."

Ryan didn't know what to say in response, she merely looked at Melissa with a curious expression etched on her face. If Kylie was the one thing that would keep her going, even when things seemed dire, then that's exactly what she'd focus on. Whether or not she was the little girl's favourite, that didn't matter. Even if she fell to third place behind her grandpa and Jordan, it was still her job to protect her and keep her safe.

"If Kylie grew up to be half as strong as Lydia, then I'd consider myself lucky." Ryan stated in a whisper.

"But don't you see it," Melissa paused and Ryan met her gaze, "she already is and it's because of _you_."

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**


	90. Chapter 90

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 _ **Chapter 90** **:**_

Jordan gripped the shaft of the emitter in his hand tightly, drumming his one finger against the side of it as the end lit up before fading away to nothing. The process repeated a few more times before Chris slowed his pace and without warning, the hunter in front of Jordan lifted the emitter in his hand high into the air and jammed the end of it into the pipe lining the top of the wall.

"What's this supposed to do exactly?" Jordan asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over the two of them. Gerard was still somewhere nearby but it had been quite a while since they had parted ways with the old man, something that still didn't sit right with Jordan.

"The sound that they emit will catch the Beast's attention and draw him down the exact path that we want him to take. I don't know about you but I don't like surprises and if we can avoid encountering him where we're not expecting it, then that's the best option." Chris answered and glanced over his shoulder, shooting Jordan a subtle glare. Jordan shrugged his shoulders in response and extended the emitter towards Chris, who took it with ease and continued moving down the tunnel.

Jordan followed along close behind him, not wanting to stray too far away, but at the same time, he wasn't sure how the plan was supposed to go down. Okay, so yes, they were setting up a trap for the Beast but what happened when the Beast was right where they wanted him, what was supposed to be the next step? Chris had yet to tell him that part and that just served to make Jordan nervous.

He wanted to end the Beast's reign of terror, he wanted to be a part of the creature's defeat but he also didn't want to get himself killed in the process. This is part of what he had been afraid of when he had first decided to leave Beacon Hills, and ultimately Ryan. Jordan didn't know his true capabilities, he had no idea if he was cut out to take on the Beast, but Chris seemed unaffected by the prospect of coming face to face with the giant mutated werewolf.

"Maybe I should check on Ryan." Jordan mumbled and Chris, without having to be asked, produced his cell phone, handing it over to Jordan without a second of hesitation. "Thanks."

Chris bowed his head in acknowledgement but carried on moving forward through the tunnels. Jordan worked his fingers over the screen and managed to get into the contacts on the phone. Within seconds, he was calling Ryan's cell phone, the device pressed against his ear as he listened to it ringing, and ringing…and ringing.

Well that was a little weird, she was supposed to be in the hospital, which meant that her phone _should_ have been right nearby, but maybe she was sleeping, maybe she had managed to get some rest and relax enough to have not heard the phone. Jordan left her a quick message asking her to contact him on Chris' phone before he ended the call, then he tucked the cell into the pocket on the front of his sweater.

Surely she'd get back to him as soon as she possibly could, right? But when exactly would that be? If she _had_ managed to fall asleep, then maybe he wouldn't be expecting her to call him back until the morning, and that seemed much too far away for his liking. Jordan let out a soft sigh and carried on down the tunnel, gaining ground on Chris who was still moving, planting emitters as he went.

With a heavy silence falling over them, Jordan merely continued to follow the older man as they moved deeper and deeper into the tunnels below the town. This is where it would all go down, this was the spot where Jordan would get to face the beast, and survive if he was lucky. He didn't want to die, but then again, who ever really did _want_ to die?

He had a family, he had a woman who loved him and a little girl that adored him, and that was only the beginning. He had friends, he had people who relied on him and respected him, people like the sheriff who needed him more than any other deputy. He knew things that not everyone was privy to knowing and didn't that make him special, didn't that make him worth keeping around?

"You know your girlfriend is pretty well-equipped to handle things on her own." Chris remarked from a few steps in front of him. Jordan opened his mouth to reply but instead, he took Chris' words to heart.

Ryan _was_ pretty strong, she was intelligent and she had proved, on more than one occasion, that she could handle herself. She had been around Beacon Hills a lot longer than he had and she had been married to a deputy who had obviously shown her a thing or two involving self-defence. As worried as he was about her, he knew that she was probably fairing much better than he was, hell, at least she was in the hospital and not in the tunnels where the Beast was most likely lurking.

When the phone in his sweater pocket began vibrating against his abdomen, Jordan was all too quick to free it from the worn out material and lock his eyes on the screen. It wasn't a call, it was a text, but that didn't matter, because it was still from Ryan.

Ryan was okay, she was alive and she was texting him.

His eyes scanned over the message and he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion at what she had said to him.

' _Lydia's been hurt, it looks nasty, but we're all hanging in there.'_

With a deep breath moving into his lungs, he held the air there and said a silent prayer for both Lydia and Ryan. Lydia was hurt, and so was Ryan, even if she wasn't about to admit it. The pain of losing their baby would hit her hard once she had a chance to calm down, it would hit him hard too, but there was a bigger picture to see, a larger threat at the present moment.

When the time came and everything was over and done with, then he'd be able to focus on grieving with Ryan. He wasn't ever going to forget how excited he had been at the prospect of raising a child with her, nor would he ever push aside the pride of knowing that he had helped give life to a baby.

When Jordan lifted his head up, peeling his gaze away from the screen of the phone, he took note that Chris was quite a few steps ahead of him and nearly disappearing around the next corner. Before he knew what he was doing, Jordan let out a huff of frustration, catching the hunter's attention and drawing him back towards him.

Chris rounded the corner completely and held his shotgun in his hand. Jordan's eyes traveled over the rest of the man and took in the sight of him, never seeing a more menacing looking human. Chris was tough, he wasn't afraid of anything and he had nothing to lose.

"Lydia's been hurt, badly." Jordan stated in a low tone, concern flooding through his body at the thought of the poor teenaged girl being injured. He wondered how bad it really was, and what exactly had happened, but before he had a chance to respond, the tunnels vibrated around him.

In the distance, a guttural roar echoed through the tunnels, the sound bouncing off of the solid walls, making it sound even more menacing than it had before. Jordan turned his head from the direction that Chris had come from, Chris matching his movements, and together the two of them waited for the approaching Beast, in whatever form it chose.

"It doesn't change anything." Chris replied rather calmly considering the circumstances. Here they were, in the tunnels, trying to draw out a Beast at least twice the size of any normal human being. Jordan wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea but what other choice did they have. "We stick to the plan."

They needed to draw it out yes, it was the only way that they could keep the Beast from killing more people while they had no idea where it was, or where it was going.

"What if she's dying?" Jordan quipped, turning towards Chris. He understood how important their little adventure into the tunnels was but he also knew that Lydia didn't need to die. She had been near death once before and if he hadn't gotten to her in time, well, he didn't like to think of all the bad things that could've happened but he knew that a lot more people would've died, and those deaths would've been on his hands.

"If we don't stop Sebastien, she _will_ die." Chris countered, matter-of-factly. "He's not just coming for the pike, he's coming for anything that stands in his way. Right now, that's all of us."

Another roar echoed off the walls and Jordan felt a shiver run through his spine. He didn't say a word, instead, he watched with curiosity as Chris leaned down slightly and propped his shotgun against the tunnel wall, the barrel facing upwards. He kept his eyes trained on the hunter as Chris stepped around him, moving to take a stance up behind him.

"What are you doing?" Jordan demanded. He wanted to know what the man had planned, he _needed_ to know what he was thinking.

"You saved my life once. Now, I'm going to save yours." Chris retorted. Jordan's mind immediately drifted to the time that he had ventured into the sewers on his own, back when he had been tracking Peter Hale.

Finding Chris speared through the gut with a piece of bent rebar hadn't been something he had been planning to find but nonetheless, it had been exactly what had greeted him when he had first laid eyes on Chris all those many nights ago. Had he saved the man, certainly, did Chris Argent owe him for it, well Jordan didn't think so, but it wasn't like he was going to argue with the seasoned hunter.

That was all that needed to be said and maybe if it hadn't been for the vibrations running through the hard, concrete floor, Jordan would've argued with him, demanded to know more about what his plan was. There was a bigger threat though and he could hear it getting closer and closer to them.

"I'm not sure I'm getting the strategy here." Jordan remarked with another quick glance at the man's abandoned gun. Wouldn't he want the firepower, wouldn't he want the protection of the gun?

"You're the strategy, Parrish. You're the one in the fresco, put there as a reminder that the Beast isn't unstoppable." Chris paused and in that split second, another feral growl resounded in the tunnel. "Whoever painted it, they didn't see a guy with a gun facing down the Beast, they saw you. They saw a Hellhound."

The roars and growls of the Beast were getting louder, which meant that the Beast was getting closer and closer to them. If what Chris was saying was true then it was up to him, it was all on his shoulders to stop the Beast and keep it from hurting anyone else in Beacon Hills.

Could he do that though? Could he really take on that sort of responsibility?

His mind drifted to Ryan for a split second and he could see her smiling face, he could hear her laugh in his head. She was worth it, she would _always_ be worth it.

If he couldn't have been there for her when she had found out that she had lost their baby, then he would do everything in his power to give them time, and another chance at having a family of their very own.

Taking a few steps away from Chris, Jordan sucked in a breath and tried to prepare himself for one hell of a fight. He knew the Beast wasn't going to go down easy and he was going to have to give everything he had just to stand a chance.

Feeling the heat rising up inside his body, he held his breath momentarily and when the flames spread out over the outer layer of his skin, he knew that the time was drawing near. He was going to have to face the Beast and he was _not_ going to lose.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Melissa approached Ryan as she stood outside of Lydia's room, still standing guard to make sure that no one got near the poor girl lying nearly motionless in the hospital bed. With a look at the younger nurse, Melissa knew that it was going to be harder than she thought to get Ryan to head back to her own room and rest, something that she should definitely have been doing already.

On the other hand though, Melissa understood how bored Ryan would've been all alone in her own hospital room. It wasn't like there was anything exciting to do, especially in Beacon Hills Memorial and if there was a chance for an adventure, a chance to do something other than lay in a bed and stare at the ceiling, then Ryan was going to take it. Melissa couldn't blame her for that.

Feeling useless wasn't a good feeling and it was one that Melissa herself was familiar with time and time again. In a world of supernatural creatures, being human wasn't always the best thing to be and it wasn't always the best way to help either.

"You should be in bed." Melissa breathed the words out and came to stand in front of Ryan. "You know that right? And if I was any other nurse in this place, I'd call security and get you ushered back to your room."

"But you're not 'any other nurse' and you won't do that." Ryan countered with a knowing smile. "You like having me around just as much as I want to be around."

"You remind me what it's like to be young." Melissa teased and crossed her arms over her chest, leaning against the outside wall of Lydia's room with her shoulder. "Can I ask you something?"

Ryan nodded her head and waved at Melissa, signaling for her to go on. Melissa remained quiet though and peeked her head around so that she could see inside the room, her eyes landing on Lydia, who was currently alone inside. Ryan knew that her friends were somewhere nearby, Stiles, Scott and Liam had been to see her not all that long ago, but they had left her, disappeared without a word to Ryan.

That was fine with her, they didn't owe her anything anyways, plus it wasn't like they knew what she was doing; she was trying to keep a close eye on Lydia, a small attempt at protecting her from anything that she could.

"Why are you hanging around here? Don't get me wrong, I think it's sort of sweet that you're keeping an eye on Lydia but I was under the impression that you weren't really her biggest fan." Melissa asked, pulling Ryan out of her thoughts.

"Because of the weird _thing_ going on with her and Jordan?" Ryan cocked her head sideways in confusion. Oh right, there had been a time, not all that long ago, that Ryan had despised the girl lying in the bed. Lydia had obviously been crushing on Jordan, who was _her_ boyfriend, but right now wasn't exactly the most appropriate time to dwell on that.

"Yes." Melissa nodded. "Exactly. What's changed your mind?"

"Nothing." Ryan shrugged in response. "I still don't like her being near Jordan but I mean, I don't know, maybe it's stupid but I just thought that even though I just lost my baby, I don't want Lydia's mother to go through what I'm going through."

"I think that's pretty noble of you." Melissa whispered and reached a hand out, running it down Ryan's bicep.

"Yeah well, when all this is over, I'm going to go right back to not wanting her anywhere near my boyfriend." Ryan grumbled.

"I wouldn't expect anything less." Melissa chuckled and retracted her hand. She held Ryan's gaze and forced a smile onto her face, studying her younger friend's saddened expression. She knew that Ryan was going through an immensely tough time but it didn't make Melissa hope that Jordan would come be by her side any less.

Ryan straightened up in front of Melissa and looked past her, catching the attention of the three missing teenagers. Stiles, Scott and Liam were standing behind Melissa and when she turned to follow Ryan's gaze, she let out a sigh of frustration, easily catching the mischievous look in her own son's eye.

"I have an idea." Scott announced but he kept his voice low. "We need Lydia in order to get Mason back but she can't really talk because of her throat, right?"

"Right." Ryan spoke up, nodding her head too. "She's going to be hurting for quite a while-"

"But not if we can give her something to help her heel faster, then she can use her voice." Scott cut her off and Ryan narrowed her eyes in on the male McCall. Melissa looked at her son as well before meeting Ryan's gaze, pulling her eyes away from Scott.

"Maybe if we can…" Melissa began but trailed off, her eyes holding Ryan's.

"We could try to get the swelling to go down, if we can do that, maybe she can try talking." Ryan offered up. Melissa's lips turned upwards into a smile and without another word to anyone, she took off down the hall, leaving Ryan standing just outside of Lydia's doorway with the three boys.

None of the boys made a sound and Ryan pressed her lips together as she let the awkward silence take over. She squirmed slightly under their scrutinizing gazes but didn't break. It was almost painstaking how long she had been left alone with Stiles, Scott and Liam but as soon as she spotted Melissa wandering back towards them, she blew out a sigh of relief and felt her muscles relaxing from the tension being alone with the boys had caused.

"Cortisone." Melissa announced and took up a stance behind the boys, the three of them turning to face her. "We give her a cortisone shot right to the injury and hope to god it works to bring the inflammation down."

"I'd suggest some painkillers too but I'm assuming this is off the books." Ryan scoffed and Scott gave an appreciative nod in his mother's direction before guiding Liam inside Lydia's room. Stiles hung back and held Ryan's gaze, staring at her with wide eyes.

"Obviously." Melissa shook her head and brushed past her.

Ryan followed close behind Melissa and Stiles as they led the charge into Lydia's room. If what they were planning to do was going to work, then they had to be stealthy about it and so far, nothing that they were doing was very stealthy at all.

Melissa was trying to remain quiet but she had Stiles behind her, not to mention Ryan herself. That meant that she'd draw attention to herself if they crossed anyone's path simply because of their numbers. Ryan crossed her arms over her chest and held her breath as the three of them crossed over the threshold into Lydia's hospital room.

Scott and Liam were already inside, one on either side of the bed, as they held Lydia upright, supporting her as best as possible. Melissa surged ahead and wandered around to the side of the bed nearest the wound, all the while Stiles ushered Ryan further inside before pausing to close the door behind him. She nodded her appreciation at him and carried on inside, cautiously approaching the bed and lowering her butt down to sit on the edge opposite Melissa.

"Lydia, this is going to have to be just between us since I can get fired for it." Melissa stated and it was very evident by her tone that she was anxious about the whole situation. Ryan didn't blame her, they were breaking all sorts of policies and protocols, plus, like Melissa had said, she could easily lose her job if anyone found out what they were doing.

"It's a cortisone shot, it's going to bring the inflammation down." Scott explained while Melissa produced the needle from inside the front pockets on her scrubs. Lydia glanced up at Melissa but she seemed to understand what was about to happen.

Ryan extended her hand towards the girl in the bed and much to her surprise, Lydia took hold of it, gripping her fingers tight. Ryan shot her a reassuring look as Lydia produced her other hand from under the covers, offering it to Melissa.

"Not there." Melissa pointed out and grabbed hold of the edge of the bandage on the poor girl's neck.

"It'll be okay." Ryan said soothingly and held Lydia's gaze. She hoped that if she could keep the poor girl distracted, then maybe the shot wouldn't pain her as much.

"Oh, yeah, okay, I'm going to need to leave." Stiles announced with a messed up look on his face.

"What's wrong with you?" Ryan asked with a shake of her head. "You perfectly fine when it comes to hanging out in hospitals but as soon as there's even the possibility of seeing something gross, you back out."

"I do not do that, okay, I don't." Stiles argued and lifted his hand up. "Now if you'll just excuse me-"

"You're not going anywhere," Melissa piped up without even glancing his way. Ryan shot him a smirk and bit back a laugh, "hold her other hand."

Stiles took a step closer to the bed and Lydia barely lifted her free hand upwards. Ryan gave her other hand a gentle squeeze and drew her attention back towards her. Yes, this was good, if they could just keep Lydia focused on Ryan then maybe things would turn out okay, maybe the needle would go in without too much resistance and maybe it wouldn't hurt her that badly.

"Okay, fine. I'm not leaving, but I still might faint." Stiles stated, his voice level and calm. Ryan snorted at his words but didn't look away from Lydia as she spotted Melissa raising her arm out of the corner of her eye and heard the sound of a body collapsing to the floor.

When she looked away from Lydia, she caught sight of Stiles still standing, well, it hadn't been him that had passed out. But then who was it? Looking around the room, Ryan laid her eyes on Scott, who was diving towards the ground, preparing to help Liam get up and off the cold, hard tiles. Huh well she had expected a little more from a doctor's son but hey, maybe the kid just didn't like needles; she couldn't exactly fault him for that.

"Okay, here we go." Melissa said and Ryan immediately turned her attention towards Lydia once more. As Melissa gripped the girl's chin and held her jaw, Ryan squeezed her hand harder, her anxiety over the entire situation surging to the surface. "Okay, Lydia, this is going to hurt like a bitch."

Lydia's mouth fell open and she struggled to make a distressed noise as the tip of the needle plunged into her skin directly where her wound was located. Ryan could feel the poor girl gripping and constricting her hand with full force, but she wasn't going to complain, in fact, she welcomed the ache that she could feel in her hands. Her knuckles rubbed against each other and her fingers were reduced to squeezed sausages as Lydia fought off the urge to scream with everything she had.

Once all was said and done, Ryan loosened her grip on her hand and Lydia let go completely, shooting her an appreciative glance as she turned to face Melissa, who was putting the cap back on the razor sharp point of the needle.

"Wasn't so bad, was it?" Ryan asked in a soothing tone and shot a smile up at her friend. "Could've been worse, right?"

"Come on, let's get her dressed and ready to go." Melissa suggested and slipped her arm around the back of Lydia's shoulders. "The sooner we get a move on, the less likely it is that people are going to die. Do I have that right?"

"That's exactly it." Stiles replied.

"Well here's to hoping that you guys succeed." Ryan announced and lifted her hand up, waving the teenagers onward. "If you'll excuse me, I've got a bed of my own calling my name and since my work here is done, I might just go use it."

"Good plan." Melissa leveled her with a glare and Ryan plastered an innocent look onto her face. "If I catch you out of your room again, this time I really will get security on your ass."

"I know." Ryan chuckled. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Only 2 more chapters after this one!_**

 ** _Are you guys excited for an ending, or nervous, or what?_**


	91. Chapter 91

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 _ **Chapter 91** **:**_

Jordan felt his back collide with the pipes on the walls of the tunnels, the Beast having much more strength than he had been anticipating. It wasn't a fair fight, not by a long shot, but Jordan wasn't going to give up, he had a town to protect, a family to keep safe, and he was going to give everything he had until he had nothing _left_ to give. Ryan deserved that much, she deserved to know that he wasn't going to back down, no matter how hard, or how dire, things seemed at that very minute.

With the shotgun blasts still echoing off the tunnel walls, and the bullets whizzing towards Jordan, who was tangled up with the Beast, it wasn't hard for either man to deduce that the fight was far from over. Until the Beast was done, until it was limp on the ground struggling for air, then they had to keep going.

Chris was on the same page, he wasn't backing down either, even though he was human. The man still had valuable skills, he was still able to help Jordan, and he was going to help the hunter in return until he couldn't help him anymore.

When the shotgun blasts stopped, Jordan held his breath but only momentarily. Before he even had a chance to call out to Chris, the man had produced more firepower in the form of two hand guns that had been tucked under his jacket.

With his arms trying desperately to hold the Beast still so Chris could inflict wounds to it, Jordan fought tooth and nail not to get caught in the line of fire. He didn't know exactly what would happen to him if he got shot, he might heel, he might not, but now wasn't the ideal time to find out, not when the Beast was still standing, still fighting with him.

The Beast's back was to Chris and Jordan pushed it towards the hunter, keeping it between him and the guns. He didn't want to get shot but he didn't want Chris to stop shooting. If they were lucky enough then maybe Chris could stop it, or at the very least, slow the Beast down.

It wasn't until Chris disappeared around the corner that Jordan straightened up and prepared himself to fight that extra bit harder. Where had Chris gone? Where had he disappeared too?

Jordan glanced sideways just long enough to catch sight of Gerard standing next to his son and that was enough for him. So long as Chris was still alive, so long as the man was still breathing, then Jordan would have to focus on getting to the Beast.

"He's not slowing down." Jordan barely heard Chris state as he continued to fight against the beast. Flames were still covering his body but Jordan could no longer feel the heat. It wasn't painful, it didn't hurt him, it was almost as though it was a second skin, something that belonged to him.

"Oh, he will. They both will." Gerard countered, Jordan trying to keep his attention focused solely on the task at hand. He could catch glimpses of his surroundings every so often and he could hear bits and pieces of their conversation, but the snarls and growls of the beast were much too loud to allow him to hear every word.

With a fleeting thought of protecting the Argents, as well as everyone else that he possibly could, Jordan shoved the Beast backwards, giving him just enough time to launch himself into the air, heading directly for the giant werewolf like a missile. He threw his fist out in front of him and levelled the Beast with a vicious punch but all the Beast did in response was let out a pained roar, his fighting spirit still very much alive as he continued to counter Jordan's attacks.

It was becoming harder and harder for him to press on, his body was starting to get tired and his muscles were aching from the wear and tear of the fighting. The beast was obviously much stronger, better equipped, to be fighting and Jordan could feel every bone in his body shaking as they continued to exchange blows, moving through the tunnels in a vicious game of cat and mouse.

He'd hit the Beast, the Beast would hit him back twice as hard. They'd move a few more feet down the tunnels and repeat it over and over again, neither one of them clearly gaining the upper hand. Jordan wanted nothing more than to knock the Beast off its feet, to have it land on the ground and struggle to get back up, but he knew it would take a lot more than a prolonged wrestling match to defeat the Beast, even just temporarily.

He darted forward and made a grab at the Beast's giant arm, forcing it backwards and holding the limb above his head. He reached out and tried to swipe at the werewolf's chest with his claws but he couldn't reach, his nails just barely missing the rough skin of the Beast of Gevaudan.

Sucking in a breath, he leaned in to the Beast with everything he had and held his left arm in the air, stopping the Beast's massive paw from landing a hit on him, his right hand was desperately trying to grab hold of the werewolf's other limb, keeping the Beast from using either of his paws to inflict pain.

When an ear-piercing scream echoed through the walls of the tunnel, Jordan's body tensed and he felt a ripple of heat surge through his body, the flames licking at his skin growing wilder for a split second. His head darted sideways in the direction that the sound had come from and a low growl erupted from his chest.

Before he knew what was happening, the Beast's fist sprung free from his grasp and it knocked him sideways, sending his body careening towards the ground. The flames licking at his body quickly disappeared and Jordan sucked in a breath, desperately trying to get oxygen into his lungs as he watched in awe as the Beast reverted back to its human form.

Sebastian Valet stalked off like a predator after its prey, leaving Jordan on all fours on the cold, hard concrete floor. Should he call after the man, try to distract him long enough to give whoever he was after a fighting chance? Should he fight against every aching muscle in his body and attack the Beast one more time, hoping that he wouldn't wind up dead?

Chest heaving, lungs threatening to burst, Jordan remained on the floor and watched until he could no longer see Sebastian Valet. Once the man was out of sight, Jordan dropped his butt to the ground and twisted his hips slightly, taking just a second for himself in order to gather his thoughts. He didn't know what he was supposed to do at that very minute, but he did know that he had to protect anyone that he could from the very Beast he had been battling with in the tunnels.

He had to make sure that it didn't get away, he had to keep the Beast distracted.

Jordan rolled his hips sideways and planted his feet on the ground, forcing himself to stand up. He ran his hands down his chest and felt the dirt and grime from the ash coating his skin before his mind drifted to Ryan. He was doing this for her, he was going to keep her safe and if that meant that he'd have to dig deep and find a little bit more within him, then that's what he was going to do.

Ryan needed him and he needed her, there wasn't anything that was going to rip them apart, not Lydia Martin, not the fact that he was a hellhound and certainly not some ancient Beast that had nothing better to do than to terrorize Beacon Hills.

Without putting it off any longer, Jordan broke out into a light jog in the very same direction that the Beast had gone, he rounded the corner and pressed forward, hoping that he could catch up with Sebastian Valet in order to stop him before he hurt anyone else that he cared about. If he could get to the man, if he could use the element of surprise against him, then maybe he could lay him out before he had a chance to shift back into the giant mutated Beast that Jordan was quickly growing irritated with.

He kept moving forward, not daring to stop, and when he approached another turn, he took it quickly but kept his body close to the wall in case the Beast was waiting for him. He figured that Sebastian was far too distracted in his hunt for whatever it was he was looking for but Jordan knew better than to be too reckless. Sometimes cautiousness was rewarded.

"I _will_ find you." Jordan growled, taking a few more steps through the tunnels.

He approached a particular spot where the walkway branched off and without even thinking about it, he took the tunnel to the right. His gut was telling him that this was where he needed to go, that this was the direction he would find the beast, and when a feral growl sounded out just up ahead, shaking the walls of the tunnel as the sound traveled, Jordan knew that he was on the right track.

Keeping his ears and eyes open, he slowed his pace down, fearful of what he might find when he finally managed to locate the Beast. Would there be carnage? Would there be dead bodies littering the floor or would there be a fallen Beast?

Cocking his head sideways, Jordan listened to what he could only assume was a scuffle of sorts. He could just barely make out Scott's voice, as well as the eerie tone belonging to Sebastian Valet. Jordan took off in a mad dash towards the voices and before he reached anyone, that's when he heard it.

"Mason!" Lydia screamed, rattling Jordan's bones within his body. He could hear her, he could feel the power of her voice even from his position in the tunnels, and with every remaining ounce of strength that he had, he took off in a run towards where the sound had come from.

Jordan bounded through the tunnels, turning the corners as though he knew exactly where he was heading, and in truth, he did. He was going for Lydia, he was heading right for the screaming Banshee and if that was what it was going to take to draw him in, then that's all that mattered.

He'd sort things out later, he'd explain to Ryan what happened in the tunnels, and that it was her that he loved, her that he wanted to be with. Lydia was tied to him through the supernatural but Ryan was tied to him in _every_ other way. She was the woman he loved, the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with and the woman that he'd stand by through anything that dared to come their way.

He loved her, with every fibre of his being, and as soon as he defeated the Beast in the tunnels, then he'd go to her and stay right by her side until she was allowed to go home. She deserved that much.

As he rounded another corner, he could feel it in his bones that he was getting closer. Everything seemed to be falling into place and without a word of warning, another high-pitched shrieking noise reverberated off the walls of the tunnel.

With a deep intake of breath, Jordan's mind held steady to Ryan and he forced the hellhound part of him to come to surface. He could feel the burning heat biting at every inch of his skin but this time if felt slightly different, it almost felt good.

He straightened his spine, rolled his shoulders back and surged forward, turning around the next corner and coming face to face with a pitch black swirl of smoke. He knew exactly what it was, it was the Beast, and Jordan reached out for it before he could even register how close he was to it.

When his fingers bit into the cloud of smoke, he could feel hard, rippled muscle, two glowing blue eyes were staring back at him, but Jordan knew what he had to do, he had to hold him still, he had to keep the Beast from getting away, he had to get the others attention. He knew Lydia was nearby, and with a quick look down the hallway, he took note that Scott was there too, along with Liam and Kira.

"Scott!" Jordan called out once he laid eyes on the true alpha not too far away from where he stood. Scott was right there with him in seconds, raising a long, spear like object high into the air. Jordan struggled to maintain hold of the black smoke that was the beast, keeping it from getting away.

When the spear landed in the Beast's chest, Jordan held on tighter, driving his claws into it and watching as it let out another shriek and simply vanished into thin air, much like the oni had done so long ago.

When the Beast was gone, out of sight, Jordan stared down at his fire covered hands and blew out a large sigh of relief. His mind remained on Ryan and with the sad, fleeting thought of what she was going through alone over the loss of their baby, he felt the Hellhound side of him retreating, leaving him blackened from the ash but no longer on fire.

"Is everyone okay?" Scott called out and spun around on his heels, surveying the damage remaining in the tunnels.

"Not everyone."

Jordan rounded on his heels and spotted Theo Raeken headed right for them, surges of electricity flowing over his body. Jordan shook his head at the sight and straightened up, readying himself for another fight but when Theo raised his hand up and threw it forward, an arc of electricity flowing out of his fingers, Kira darted forwards and blocked his attack with her sword.

Letting out a soft sigh of relief as he watched the weapon seemingly absorb the electricity, Jordan remained behind the teenagers, hoping that this would all be over soon and that he could get the hell out from under the town shortly.

"The Skinwalkers have a message for you, Theo." Kira announced and twisted her sword in her hands before plunging the tip of it into the floor. "Your sister wants to see you."

Where the sword entered the concrete, a purple haze took over and the concrete of the floor itself seemed to almost crack up and liquefy, opening up a hole in front of them and ultimately right where Theo was standing. He didn't look quite as menacing as a zombie-like figure erupted from the newly formed hole in the ground and dragged him backwards, pulling him down into the opening with her.

Theo threw his hands out in front of him and drove his fingers into the concrete, desperately trying to keep himself from being pulled down into the deep recesses of hell. Jordan debated helping the kid but as he looked around at the rest of the people in the tunnels with him, none of them making a move to do anything for Theo either, he crossed his arms over his chest and watched as Theo screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Scott, help me! No! No! Scott help me, Scott! No! Scott! Help me!"

Once Theo was gone, out of sight, sucked right into the floor, the hole closed up just as quickly as it had appeared and without a word from anyone else, they all turned their backs to where Theo had disappeared to and began retreating out of the tunnels. Jordan jogged after them to catch up and when he reached Scott, he set his hand on the boy's shoulder, drawing his attention towards him.

"We did it." Scott said softly, Jordan nodding his agreement. "We couldn't have done it without you."

"I'm not so sure of that." Jordan replied with a sad smile.

Scott simply bowed his head and Jordan broke out into a jog, taking the lead away from everyone. He didn't slow down, he didn't even break stride until he reached the end of the tunnels, the dark sky outside surrounding him as he made his way for the parking lot, bypassing it completely and surging on ahead.

It was over, the Beast was gone, and now all he wanted was to be by Ryan's side. Nothing was going to stop him.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

With a fresh set of clothes adorning his recently showered body, Jordan headed down the hallway in search of the one person that he desperately needed to see. Ryan was supposed to be in the room just a few doors from where he currently was and without missing a beat, he wandered further down the hall and turned into the room.

The door had been partially shut and made a creaking noise as he opened it, but he didn't care. She was sleeping in the dim hospital room and at the sight of the peaceful expression on her face, he couldn't help but smile. Jordan crossed his arms over his chest and stepped further into the room, closing in the bed while being as quiet as he could. When he was right beside her, he gently lowered himself down to sit on the edge of the flimsy hospital mattress and gently pressed his palm against her thigh, her body jerking slightly at the motion before her eyes opened.

"No." She murmured and swiped at him before rolling onto her side slightly, attempting to curl up and go back to sleep.

"Ryan." Jordan whispered and leaned down towards her, pressing a kiss against the side of her head in the process. "It's me."

"What?" She mumbled in response and turned her head backwards, forcing her eyes open to get a better look at the person who dared to disturb her sleep. "Jordan?"

"Yeah, I thought you could use some company." He smiled and without having to ask her to, she scooted to the edge of the bed and made room for him to lay down behind her. Jordan crawled around her and gingerly laid his body down so that her back was flush against his chest, then he slipped his arm around her waist and held on to her loosely, afraid that if he put too much pressure on her abdomen that it might cause her pain.

"Is everyone okay?" She asked, still peering over her shoulder. He pressed another kiss to the side of her head and his smile grew, letting her know without speaking that she could relax.

"Everyone except Theo." Jordan quipped, amusement lacing his tone. "But that's a story for a different day."

She let out a sigh and dropped her head back down to the flat pillow on the bed, then she set her palm over his wrist and held on to him, not wanting to let him go for the time being. She hadn't known what to expect when he had first told her he was planning to leave but when he had shown back up and informed her that he wasn't taking off, she had felt relieved, if not a little scared. If Jordan stayed in Beacon Hills, then what did that mean for her?

Would she still be in danger? Would she have to fight with his hellhound side just to keep Jordan with her?

"You're okay though." Ryan spoke up, her voice barely louder than a whisper. "Right?"

"I am, I'm fine." Jordan answered and felt his own body relaxing into the bed. He was content right where he was, even if the two of them were curled up together on a barely comfortable hospital bed.

He just wanted to be close to her, he wanted to let her know that he was alive and that he had survived the night. He knew that she deserved that much, but yet there was so much more that he _wanted_ to tell her.

Every time he shifted, each time he let the hellhound take over, he had thought of her, he had Ryan to use as his anchor. She was the thing that kept him bound to his humanity, she was the person who helped him maintain control, and in his eyes, she should know that too.

"I have surgery in the morning." She stated softly and he could hear the fear in her tone. "It's nothing major, typical procedure, but I'm still scared."

"That's understandable but I won't let anything happen to you, I promise you that I will protect you, from whatever comes our way." Jordan countered and gripped her the tiniest bit tighter to let her know that he was right there with her and he wasn't going to be leaving her any time soon. "I'm not leaving your side until you tell me it's okay. I will sit vigil outside of the operating room and do whatever I can to let you know that you'll have me for as long as you'll keep me."

"God I love you." She forced a smile at him in response. "I'm thinking the emotional trauma will be harder to heal from though."

"You mean…the loss of the baby?" Jordan pressed.

"Yeah, I've been thinking about it constantly since I found out. I know we didn't plan on getting pregnant but I was just…I don't know, I wanted it, so bad and now I don't have it anymore. At the same time though, I don't know if I want to try again-"

"Ryan, we've got time." Jordan cut her off and brought his arm up a little higher, hugging her around her chest instead of her waist. "Let's maybe focus on getting through this surgery first, then we can talk about-"

"But do you want a baby?" She broke in and turned her head back slightly, looking at him over her shoulder. "Is that something that you want?"

He furrowed his eyebrows at her and studied her expression. She looked worried, fearful even, and in that moment, he wasn't entirely sure what he wanted to say to her. Sure the idea of having kids with her sounded grand but if she was as scared as he could sense, then maybe he could learn to live with just her and Kylie. Would that be the worst thing? No, no it wouldn't even be close to the worst thing.

"I just want you to be happy." Jordan replied after a few beats of silence. "I want you to feel safe with me, I want you to be comfortable and protected, I just want to come home to you and see you smile as often as you can manage knowing that I'm doing my best to make sure that you're happy."

"So if I decide I don't want to have another baby…" She trailed off, looking at him with a sad expression. "You'll be okay with that?"

"I will." He bowed his head, resting his forehead on the back of her shoulder as he pressed a kiss to her back. "If all we have is Kylie, then I'd still consider myself the luckiest guy alive."

He felt her body relaxing into his hold and Jordan let his eyes fall shut, a sense of peace flooding through his veins. She might not have been what had drawn him to Beacon Hills in the beginning but she'd certainly be the reason he stayed. Ryan Sloane was it for him, she was his happily ever after and he hoped that he was hers.

It had been a tough journey for her after Cole had died and he knew that letting him in hadn't been easy. She had been resistant at first, hell there were still times when Jordan knew she was scared having to watch him walk out of the house not knowing if he'd come back to her in one piece, but he had made it, he had survived this long.

He felt her fingers dig into the back of his hand and at the pressure from her digits, he nuzzled his nose against her shoulder, letting her know that he was right there. She cuddled into his hold as much as she possibly could but paused in her movements and turned her entire body towards him so that they were face to face.

Jordan opened his eyes and met hers, resting his forehead against hers gently while she blinked rapidly in an attempt to keep the tears welling up in her eyes at bay. He lifted his hand upwards and brushed his thumb across her cheek, hoping that they weren't tears of sadness but instead tears of joy or relief.

"Do you know what I thought of tonight when I was trying to keep control of the hellhound? Do you know what my anchor to humanity is Ry, the one thing that helped me keep myself in control?" Jordan asked in a breathy whisper and she scrunched up her nose in thought.

Sucking in a deep breath, she opened her mouth to speak, "was it Lydia?"

"No." He fought off the urge to chuckle at her. "Guess again."

"Um…can you give me a hint maybe?" She prodded and his lips curled up into a smile.

"Huh, well, uh, it's something that I love with all of my heart." Jordan offered.

"Okay, is it…your car?" She posed and he shook his head no. "Your gun?"

"You're a terrible guesser." He chuckled and she leveled him with a glare. "Ry, it was you, I thought of you."

"You thought of me?" Her eyes widened in shock and Jordan ran his hands through her soft blonde hair. "You really love me that much?"

"Of course I do." He closed the distance between their lips and kissed her, holding her against him. She kissed him right back and after a few seconds, she leaned her head back, putting a few inches of space between them. "What?"

"I love you with all of my heart too, well okay, maybe not all of my heart because I love Kylie too, but I definitely love you with whatever is left over after her." Ryan smiled up at him. He ran his hand through her hair again but let his palm linger on the back of her head.

"I know, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _One more to go :(_**

 ** _Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed up until this point, thank you to those of you who have left such kind, amazing words and I hope that you enjoy the end to this story._**

 ** _There are no official plans to carry on Ryan's story through season 6 but I'm not going to say that it won't happen because hey, who knows. If you have any questions, concerns, or anything along those lines, feel free to leave me a review or drop me a personal message._**


	92. Chapter 92

_**I'll Know When I Get There**_

 _Summary: __One phone call was all it took to rip Ryan Sloane's life apart and build up the idea in her head that things in Beacon Hills aren't quite right. When a certain deputy shows up in her small town and makes an impression on her, will she let him in or will she keep him just out of reach for fear that history will repeat itself. (Parrish/OFC)_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Ryan however is all mine.**

 _ **Chapter 92** **:**_ _ **Epilogue**_

Ryan's stomach dropped at the sight of the little pink plus sign on the stick. This wasn't exactly something she had wanted so soon, especially not since the loss of her first husband Cole, or even the more recent loss of her baby with Jordan, but yet it seemed unavoidable at this point in time. The pregnancy test said positive, not that Ryan needed it confirmed, she'd been pregnant once before with Kylie, and once more after that with a child that had never made it into the world, and she could remember very clearly what it felt like.

That didn't mean she wasn't excited for this pregnancy, that wasn't it at all. Ever since Deputy Jordan Parrish had come into their lives, Ryan had felt a lot better about the entire situation, and had even grown to understand more of what was going on in Beacon Hills. Cole had been a big loss to her at the hands of what she now knew was called a Kanima, but Jordan had picked up the pieces, he had brought Ryan back from the dark place where she had nearly been lost to.

Jordan had talked her into redoing the bedroom she had once shared with Cole, he had moved all the furniture to the middle of the room, covered the carpet in plastic and helped her paint all the walls a totally different colour in order to help her get over Cole and the anxiety that she still had over having lost him so suddenly. Instead of the colour it had been when it was her and Cole's room, it was now a bright, vibrant new colour and the furniture was all switched around so that it looked nothing like it once had.

Jordan had been the man to help her when she needed it, the man who had loved her when she was falling apart and the man who had treated Kylie like his very own from the very minute that he had moved into the house, yet through all of that, Jordan Parrish hadn't ever tried to replace Cole Sloane. He knew that he never could, but he _would_ be the best man for the two of them that he could be, and that was all Ryan could ask for.

They had been dating for over a year now and the idea of marriage hadn't really come up, not to the point of either of them discussing it openly with each other and not in the way that most couples talked about it either. Shortly after the Beast had been wiped out of Beacon Hills, and Ryan had recovered from miscarrying their baby, Jordan had asked Ryan if she'd consider letting him adopt Kylie at some point in time so that she'd officially be his, and Ryan had mentioned that it would be easier for him to legally adopt Kylie if they were married. That had been the extent of their talk about marriage, that had been the end of it. Nothing had happened, there had been no proposal (not yet anyways), but Ryan wasn't concerned in the least. She loved Jordan and he loved her, and there wasn't anything that would ever change that.

But a pregnancy, well that was something that threw a wrench in their plans just a little bit, that was something that they hadn't really talked about since the loss of their first child.

Jordan was an amazing father figure to Kylie, there was no doubt that he could handle taking care of a baby, she just wasn't sure it she was ready yet, that was the issue. The idea of being pregnant again so soon after losing the last baby scared her, it shook her to her very core and she wasn't sure she was ready for things to change.

What would happen if she lost Jordan in a similar way to how she lost Cole? What would happen if he was ripped from her life just as suddenly as Cole had been not all that long ago? She had a difficult enough time by herself with Kylie and that was only one kid, what would happen to her if she had to look after two kids on her own?

Could she really handle it? And would she be able to keep herself together if something ever happened to Jordan?

Part of her could see herself going right off the deep end again, worse this time. She could easily lose her mind and go crazy to the point where she'd need professional intervention. How would her babies cope with a crazy mother and a dead father, whether biological or not? There was only so much that the kids' grandfather could do, plus he was practically an old man, he didn't need to be looking after two young kids who would easily exhaust him day in and day out.

Anxious tears filled her eyes and Ryan stuffed the positive pregnancy test into the pocket on the front of her jeans, hoping that she could figure out what she truly wanted before Jordan arrived home. She knew she had to pull herself together, she had left Kylie in her room alone playing while she had gone to the bathroom to take the test to start with and as much as she trusted Kylie to play by herself, Ryan also knew that bored toddlers were not a good thing to have around.

Sucking in a deep breath, she tried to regain her composure enough so that Kylie wouldn't notice. She knew that her baby girl wasn't oblivious, she'd notice even the slightest thing off about her mother, and that was something that Ryan didn't want to have to face. She leaned over the sink and sucked in a breath, even going as far as to splash cold water on her face, forcing the tears to stay away for as long as possible. The last thing she needed was for Kylie to notice and ask questions, the girl didn't need to see her own mother crying, she had seen enough of that after Cole had died.

Patting her face dry in the soft, plush hand towel, Ryan straightened up and opened the bathroom door, stepping out into the hallway. She wandered down the hall towards Kylie's room and ran her hands down the front of her shirt, making sure that the bottom hem was covering up the opening to her pocket, the pocket containing the pregnancy test. Once she was within two feet of Kylie's room, she threw a fake smile on her face and stepped inside, her heart immediately calming down at the sight of her baby girl playing with her stuffed animals on the floor next to the bed.

"Mommy look!" Kylie squealed and lifted up her sock monkey, who was wearing one of Kylie's pink frilly socks on his head. Ryan's fake smile quickly turned genuine and she closed the distance between her and her daughter, dropping down to the floor and taking a seat next to Kylie.

"You gave him a hat!" Ryan responded, her voice equally as excited as Kylie's. She peered around at the rest of the stuffed animals strewn about on the floor, her eyes landing immediately on the teddy bear that Jordan had given her on their first outing as the three of them.

"Jordan said the other day that his head would get cold." Kylie explained vaguely and Ryan nodded her understanding, suddenly the sock on the monkey's head made a little bit more sense. She wasn't sure how she felt about Kylie calling him Jordan but the idea of him suddenly becoming daddy to her little girl scared her. She didn't want to let Kylie simply forget about Cole, even though she knew in time, her little girl wouldn't really remember him all that much anyway, but letting Kylie call him Jordan didn't seem very special, very family-like, not even a tiny bit.

And wasn't that what they were? Weren't they a family?

"Well I think it looks really good on him." Ryan chuckled and reached out, grabbing hold of Kylie's arm gently and tugging her forward. The little girl bounded into Ryan's lap and curled up against her chest, snuggling the monkey in her own arms. "I love you Kylie."

"Aww mommy! I love you bigger!"

"No, not even possible." Ryan laughed and made her way to her feet, taking Kylie into her arms and situating her against her hip. The monkey dangled from Kylie's hand down her back, hitting Ryan as her daughter squirmed until she was a bit more comfortable. "What do you say we go down to the kitchen and wait for Jordan to get home?"

"Wait!" Kylie threw her hand, the one with the monkey in it, into the air, sending the stuffed animal flying across the room where it hit the wall and crumpled to the floor. She wriggled in Ryan's hold until her mother set her on the floor, and then Ryan simply stood in the room, watching as Kylie ran over to her bed and hopped up onto the edge of it.

Ryan closed the distance between her and Kylie and crouched down at the side of the bed and once she was situated in front of the tot, Kylie reached out and grabbed the handle on the front of the drawer built into her little kid nightstand before roughly pulling it open.

"What is it Ky?" Ryan asked and Kylie stood up on her bed and leaned over, Ryan lifting a hand up and preparing herself to catch the little girl if she tumbled forward and off the edge of the bed. Kylie was undeterred though and she dug right into the drawer, fishing around for a few seconds before pulling out a card, which was clearly homemade, and a little box to go along with it.

"It's a card for you because I love you! Grandpa helped me make it." Kylie stated proudly as she straightened up to her full height, still standing on the bed, which made Ryan slightly uneasy. Ryan gently closed the drawer as Kylie jumped up before letting her bum drop against the top of her bed. "For you!"

Ryan reached out and took hold of the card, flipping it over in her hands. It was a crude heart cut from red construction paper with tiny little pink hearts, much less rough around the edges, glued all over the front. If Ryan were to guess, she had figured Kylie cut out the large red heart while grandpa Ken cut out all the little pink hearts. Scrawled across the front of it, in Kylie's messy printing, were the words 'I love you mommy and Jordan'.

Moving to sit next to Kylie on the bed, Ryan slipped an arm around her adorable little girl and pressed a kiss to the top of her head, basking in the moment of just the two of them. It had been a while since they had lived in the house on their own and while Ryan sometimes missed all the one on one time she got, she was glad that Jordan was now a part of their lives.

"Thanks Kylie." Ryan murmured and tried to keep her emotions at bay.

"You have to share with Jordan though." Kylie instructed and Ryan nodded her understanding before looking down at the little box, which Kylie reached out towards and rested her palm over. "You don't have to share the present though, that's just yours mommy."

"Right, good." Ryan smiled and set the card on the bed next to her while she lifted the lid off of the cardboard box, which looked like it belonged to some sort of toy or something. Surely grandpa Ken had played a large role in finding an appropriate sized box for whatever it was Kylie had given her.

When she pulled out the bracelet from inside the little box, Ryan couldn't help but grin at the sight. So this was the big secret that her father had been keeping from her over the past few days, this was the reason he had been so secretive and jumpy any time she asked how Kylie had been while he had been looking after her.

"See mommy, I made it myself." Kylie beamed up at her mother and Ryan slipped the beaded bracelet onto her hand, looking down at her wrist. Giant pony beads of all colours adorned the stretchy cord and even if it clearly looked like a child made it, Ryan didn't care. She'd wear it proudly everywhere she went.

"I love it Ky-pie, thank you so much." Ryan gave her little girl's leg a gentle pat and stood up, motioning for Kylie to do the same. Kylie clambered to her feet, grabbed the card off the bed and wrapped her arms around Ryan's neck, holding on tight as Ryan lifted her up, the little girl's legs wrapping around her waist as soon as she was off the bed.

The two of them wandered out of her room together and headed for the kitchen. The entire walk to the kitchen, Ryan listened to Kylie excitedly talk about how her and grandpa had spent the last few days trying to come up with a good present for Ryan. Ryan hung on every word and when they finally made it to the kitchen, she set Kylie on the floor, beaming down at the adorable little girl that she had raised.

The four-year-old rushed towards the table and slapped her hand, and ultimately the card, against the surface before running over to the counter and climbing up onto a stool that was placed there especially for Kylie to use to wash her hands.

"Mommy I'm hungry." Kylie whined as she reached back and flipped the handle of the faucet up, water erupting from the end of it. Ryan glanced towards the front hall but tore her eyes away and moved to stand behind Kylie, following her lead as the two of them washed their hands together using the barely luke warm water to create a lather with the soap on the side of the sink.

"Jordan should be here with supper soon." Ryan stated and laughed as Kylie pumped more of the foaming soap onto her hand before clapping them together and sending the suds flying everywhere. "I'll get you some juice once your hands are clean though and we can sit and wait for him at the table, okay?"

"Okay." Kylie replied, a bit of skepticism in her voice.

The two girls made quick work of washing their hands before Ryan stepped away and grabbed a towel, handing it to Kylie so that she could dry her hands off. When the towel was back hanging on the handle belonging to the stove, Ryan lifted Kylie up and wandered towards the table, setting the girl into her little booster seat before heading towards the fridge.

It was while Ryan was in the middle of filling a little plastic cup with fruit juice that she heard the front door opening, which was followed up with Kylie squealing in excitement at the arrival of the very person they were both eagerly waiting. Ignoring the bustle at the front door momentarily, Ryan continued pouring out the juice and when she wandered over to set it in front of Kylie at the table, Jordan appeared in the doorway carrying a pizza box and a plastic bag.

"Jordan!" Kylie threw her hands into the air and beamed at him, her laughter echoed in the kitchen as Jordan closed in on her and kissed the top of her head.

His eyes met Ryan's and she smiled at him before slowly sitting down at the table in the chair next to Kylie, both of them waiting for him to join them.

"How are my girls?" Jordan asked and he carefully set the pizza down on the surface of the table. The plastic bag dangled from his hand and he opened it, pulling out a stuffed red dragon with flashy gold on the inside of its wings. Kylie's name was embroidered on the inside of the right wing in red thread and Ryan looked up at him, a confused expression on her face.

"Is that for me?" Kylie's eyes widened and Jordan quickly handed the girl the dragon.

"For my favourite little girl ever." Jordan grinned and Kylie took the dragon from him, hugging it tight against her chest.

"He's perfect!" Kylie beamed up at Jordan and hugged and squeezed the dragon tighter. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"You're welcome." Jordan nodded, still grinning, and before Ryan could object to him getting Kylie yet another stuffed animal, he pulled out a photo album and handed it to Ryan. "For my other favourite girl."

Ryan took hold of the album and flipped the cover open, immediately recognizing that this wasn't just a photo album, no, this was a scrapbook, which meant that there was so much more effort put into it than just throwing pictures into sleeves in any old haphazard order.

The first page held a picture of Kylie as a baby tucked safely into the white hospital blanket that Ryan still had hidden away somewhere. Stickers of baby girl things and a handwritten quote about a 'baby being the best gift' adorned the rest of the page.

"You made me a scrapbook?" Ryan peeled her eyes off the page for a split second and looked at Jordan's smiling face.

"Yeah, why is that so shocking?" He asked and wandered around the table, taking a seat in the chair next to Ryan. "Keep going though, it's not just about Kylie."

"But when did you have time- or get the pictures-"

"Just keep going." Jordan pressed and leaned in closer to her. "Trust me."

Ryan sucked in a breath and flipped the page, her heart breaking at the sight of Cole's face, in multiple photos, staring up at her. She felt her eyes welling up with tears and before anyone could say anything, she turned the page, this time the page was filled with pictures of Cole with Ryan and baby Kylie.

"Look mommy, that's daddy." Kylie pointed out, an awed tone to her voice at the sight of her biological father's picture on the page.

"It is." Ryan choked the words out and turned the page again, a laugh erupting from her throat at the sight of Kylie and Grandpa Ken. Not a single picture of the two of them was serious, the little girl was always doing something silly while her grandpa was doing something ridiculous. Before Ryan let it all sink in, she turned the page one more time.

More photos of Kylie, Cole, Grandpa Ken and herself adorned each and every page. She kept flipping through and right as she was nearing the end, with maybe three pages to go, the pictures turned into Jordan and her with Kylie. Jordan's hand moved over and rested against Ryan's thigh as he gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"I hope you like it." Jordan remarked softly and Ryan turned to face him, her eyes full of unshed tears.

"I love it." She murmured and squeezed her eyes shut, taking in a deep breath and holding it. When she opened her eyes, she smiled, looking between Jordan and Kylie and then she gently shut the book, handing it back to Jordan who looked utterly confused at her action. "Can you put it in the bag for now, I don't want to get pizza on it."

"Wait though, you didn't get to the last page." He countered and held the book out for her again. She cocked her head sideways but hesitantly gripped the edge of the scrapbook, taking it back into her possession and setting it on the table.

With every ounce of strength that she could muster, she flipped through the pages again, glancing over the pictures that Jordan had taken the time to affix to the pages of the scrapbook, accenting them with stickers and hand written quotes to fill the spaces. She held her breath and turned over the last page, looking at the blank piece of paper in the book.

"I don't get it." She mumbled but didn't dare look away from the page, fearful that she might burst into tears as soon as she met Jordan's eyes.

"Well see, that page is reserved." Jordan answered and she didn't have to look at him to know he was smiling, no, she could hear it in his voice.

"Reserved for what?" She asked reluctantly and sighed, debating whether or not she wanted to face him or continue staring at the page.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught him moving but maintained her stare on the blank scrapbook page. She wasn't ready to face him, she wasn't ready to see what else he had in store for her but before she could voice her fears, he set a small, leather-like box in the centre of the page, and ultimately in the middle of Ryan's line of sight.

"Reserved for this, hopefully." He answered and used both hands to pop the lid off the box, revealing a diamond ring set on a silver band. The diamond itself was shaped like a heart, not too big but not too small either with tiny little blue stones, one on either side of the diamond. Ryan felt her heart pounding in her chest and when Kylie let out a whine, Ryan immediately looked over at her.

"What is it?" Kylie asked in a whisper and Ryan caught the amazed look in her eye. "It's so shiny mommy."

"It's a ring." Ryan answered, her voice shaky.

"An engagement ring." Jordan threw in. "Of course, that's only if your mom will take me."

"Take you? Take you where?" Kylie asked and slammed her palms against the surface of the table. "Where are you going?"

"Well, hopefully we're going to get married." Jordan chuckled and set his hand on top of Ryan's, drawing her attention towards him. She turned to face him and held her breath as he spoke in a soft, reassuring tone. "Ryan, _will_ you marry me?"

Her mouth felt dry and her heart was still pounding in her chest, but with one smile from Jordan, she knew exactly what she wanted. She wanted to marry him, she wanted to be his wife and she wanted to love him until her last breath.

"Yes." Ryan breathed the word out and waited patiently as Jordan freed the ring from the box, slipping it on her finger with ease. "I love you."

"I love you too." Jordan responded and leaned in, giving her a quick kiss on the lips, ignoring the sounds of protest from Kylie. Ryan's lips turned up into a smile and when she faced her little girl once more, Kylie was glaring at her, not having enjoyed the little display of affection between her mom and Jordan.

"Wow." Ryan gaped.

"So, do you _really_ like the scrapbook? You can be honest with me if you don't, I just thought it'd be nice and your dad helped me put it together." Jordan spoke up and Ryan nodded her head.

"No, I really do like it."

"Okay." Jordan nodded. "I was worried that it'd be a bit too much, but so long as you like it..."

"Yeah, well wait, no, I definitely _love_ it." Ryan forced a smile onto her face and held Jordan's gaze as he grabbed hold of the scrapbook, moved the ring box off of it and then tucked it back into the plastic bag before hanging it over the back of his chair, keeping it safely out of the way of greasy pizza fingers.

"I'm hungry." Kylie grumbled and brought the two adults' attention back to her. Jordan smiled at her, lifted the lid of the pizza box up and grabbed one of the smaller slices before handing it to Kylie who grabbed it with gusto and shoved the tip into her mouth.

Ryan shook her head at her daughter and looked at the heart-shaped diamond adorning her finger for a few seconds before she took her own slice as Jordan offered her one. He ran his fingers over the back of her hand, gently prodding at the diamond before finally nabbing a slice for himself.

"Best day ever." Jordan grinned and Ryan sucked in a breath, reminding herself that she had news for Jordan too, maybe he would consider it a gift of his own.

"Any day with pizza is the best!" Kylie called back to him, her mouth full of half-chewed pizza.

Ryan stuck her hand into her pocket, the hand with the diamond on it, and wrapped her fingers around the pregnancy test that she had tucked away there earlier. She let out a sigh, freed the stick from her jeans and quickly offered it to the man next to her. Jordan set his pizza slice back in the box and hesitantly took hold of the stick, furrowing his eyebrows as he studied the object. When he realized what he was looking at, he raised his head up and locked his eyes on Ryan.

"Still the best day ever?" She asked sheepishly and shied away from his gaze.

"What is it?" Kylie whimpered and stretched her neck out, trying to get a better look at whatever Jordan had in his hand.

"It's uh, well it tells your mom here whether or not we should be expecting a little brother or sister for you." Jordan explained in the best way he knew how without making it too complicated.

"What? A little brother or sister?" Kylie stared at Jordan. "What does it say? Am I going to have to share my toys?"

"We'll be sure to get your little brother or sister their own toys Kylie." Ryan answered and cautiously lifted her head up, forcing herself to meet Jordan's eyes.

"So does that mean that I'm going to be a big sister?" Kylie questioned and Jordan glanced over at the little girl, nodding his head yes. "Will my new brother or sister get to call you daddy?"

"Yeah." Jordan murmured.

"Well that's not fair." Kylie protested. "I want to call you daddy too!"

Ryan continued to look at Jordan, waiting for it to hit him. With a quick shake of his head, a smile broke out on his face and he leapt to his feet. Ryan stood up too and before she could say a word, he had her in his arms, holding on to her tight.

"If it's okay with your mommy, I'd be okay with you calling me daddy." Jordan said and let Ryan move away from him, relaxing back in her chair. Both of them were looking at her, waiting for her to give Kylie permission.

"Yeah, that's…that's fine with me." Ryan nodded and Jordan cocked his head at her, clearly picking up on something not quite right. He crouched down in front of her and took her hands in his, looking up into her eyes.

"Ry, what's wrong?"

"I don't know, I guess, I'm just scared." Ryan whispered. "I love you, so much, don't get me wrong, but what if something happens to you, just like it happened to Cole?"

"Nothing's going to happen to me." Jordan murmured and stole a glance over at Kylie, who was too busy eating her pizza to notice what was going on between her mom and _dad_.

"You don't know that." Ryan countered. "I had a hard enough time after Cole died with just Kylie, imagine how much worse it would be if you die too."

"Ryan, I'm not going to die on you." Jordan gave a little chuckle at his words. "You can't be afraid of that like you are, it just doesn't make sense. You're a strong person, you can handle whatever life throws your way."

"Well fine but it's still scary." She grumbled, her expression reminiscent of Kylie's grouchy face.

"But it's a good thing. Look, if you don't want this-"

"No I want it. I want this baby, I want you, I want us to be a family." Ryan cut him off and Jordan slowly rose to his full height before dropping down onto his chair. He flashed a smile at Kylie, who was still perfectly content in her own little world, before looking back to Ryan. "I love you so much sometimes that it scares me."

"I love you just as much. You and Kylie, you're it for me, you're the most important people in my life and this baby, well he or she is going to be loved too, they'll be taken care of. You can't keep worrying about things that may or may not happen." Jordan explained.

"I guess." Ryan sighed and grabbed hold of his hand. "I'd feel a little better if you weren't a deputy though."

Jordan simply smiled at her, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. She felt herself calming down the slightest little bit and once she was relaxed, she looked around the table, Kylie with pizza all over her face and Jordan, who apparently couldn't stop smiling.

"I love pizza! And I love my mommy and new daddy!" Kylie giggled and Ryan couldn't help but laugh along with her.

"I love you too." Jordan beamed right back at the girl.

Ryan couldn't help but love the way the word 'daddy' sounded coming from Kylie, she was already starting to feel better about the future with the deputy, even if some of her fears were still lingering on her mind.

She knew that it would take a while until she felt relaxed with her life and maybe one day Jordan would seriously consider a career move away from law enforcement. She wasn't going to prod him though, she knew that he loved his job, just like Cole had and suddenly her mind was drifting back to a time when it was her, Kylie and Cole.

One phone call was all it had taken to rip her life apart but one deputy was all it had taken to help put it all back together again.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Well, that's it, that's all for Ryan and Kylie's story. I hope that you guys have all enjoyed it and thank you a million times over for each and every one of you that read this story and left reviews! I cannot begin to say enough to thank you._**

 ** _I really do hope that you enjoyed the ending of this story._**

 ** _Once again: there are no official plans to carry on Ryan's story through season 6 but I'm not going to say that it won't happen because I might get inspired while watching season 6._**

 ** _If you have any questions, concerns, or anything along those lines, feel free to leave me a review or drop me a personal message._**

 ** _Thank you to poorxbrokexcollegexkid for her continued support and thank you to lulubell95, I'm so glad that you think this is a brilliant story._**


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